UNP Files, Lot 59 D 237
Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. Ward P. Allen, Adviser, United States Delegation to the General Assembly
Subject: Membership
| Participants: | Ole Bjorn Kraft, Danish Foreign Minister |
| Ward P. Allen, US Delegation |
All of the Scandinavian Delegations intend to vote for the Soviet resolution on the admission of thirteen pending applicants [in the First Committee], making clear that they do not regard the list as inclusive. The principal reason which impells them to this position is the basic consideration that Europe is very under-represented in the UN and if the UN is to succeed it must have the full participation of Europe. The European peoples and countries are still interested in the UN and have a certain faith in it, but as they see problem after problem arise in the UN and be dealt with by what they regard as the irresponsible and uninformed majority of Latin Americans, Arabs and Asians they will gradually lose their interest and conviction that the UN can be even as valuable as the late League of Nations. Moreover, on specific issues a larger European membership would be of assistance to the US in its increasingly difficult task to cope with the irresponsible actions of others. In short, the advantages of blanket admissions lie all with the west.
The Foreign Minister expressed the view that even though the US found itself unable to permit the admission of all pending applicants at the present time, nevertheless this is one of the easiest of the questions on which the East and West are at odds and as soon as there is any relaxation of international tension this should be perhaps the first question in the UN on which the US should seek accomodation with the USSR. It would cost nothing or very little and would help redress the present imbalance which is harmful to Europe, the UN and the US itself.