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Memorandum by the Deputy United States Representative on the Security Council (Ross)1

confidential
[ New York ,] August 17, 1951.

Subject: Membership

Mr. Hickerson telephoned me this morning (Friday) to say that he had noted in the Mission’s summary report a statement by Jebb (to Hyde2) to the effect that Italy had no better claim than Ceylon to membership in the United Nations. Hickerson then went on to express the Department’s view that Italy was in a very special position; that it was felt the United States should probably take the initiative to bring up in the Security Council sometime before the General Assembly the question of Italy’s admission, although this would not have to be done necessarily this month.

Mr. Hickerson also said that the Department view at the moment is that the United States should support strongly an initiative that might [Page 334] be taken by the Latin American countries looking toward an amendment of the Charter which would give Italy voting rights in the General Assembly on the ground that Italy is the Administrator of Somaliland, a trust territory.

I told Hickerson that our telegram (USUN 223, August 14) remained cancelled and I summarized for him briefly our discussion of this matter on Wednesday, and suggested that we should put the item on our agenda for Mr. Hickerson when he visits us next week.

Mr. Hickerson agreed to this and, referring to his memorandum of the middle of July,3 said that the Department wanted us to circulate more widely on the membership question and report to the Department as soon as possible with our views and recommendations.

In view of the explicit nature of our instructions limiting our discussions to the British, French and Canadians, Mr. Hyde has been in touch with Mr. Popper4 and we should be receiving a telegram of further instruction.

  1. Addressed to the United States Representative at the United Nations (Austin) and the Deputy U.S. Representative (Gross).↩
  2. James N. Hyde of the United States Mission at the United Nations (USUN).↩
  3. Refers presumably to the Hickerson memorandum to Austin, dated July 19, p. 330.↩
  4. David H. Popper of the Office of United Nations Political and Security Affairs.↩