IO Files

Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. D. Vernon McKay of the United States Delegation to the Trusteeship Council

confidential
US/T/109

Subject: The Ewe Problem

Participants: Sir Alan Burns, United Kingdom Delegation
Mr. Henri Laurentie } French Delegation
Mr. Francis Huré
Ambassador Francis B. Sayre } United States Delegation
Mr. Benjamin Gerig
Mr. Vernon McKay

Members of the British and French Delegations called on Mr. Sayre at his request this morning to discuss the text of a ninth draft of a proposed draft resolution on the Ewe problem.1

Mr. Sayre presented the British and French representatives a text which included (1) the terms of a resolution which Mr. Khalidy of the Iraqi Delegation yesterday told members of the US Delegation he was willing to accept, and (2) three additional phrases to which Khalidy had indicated strong opposition but which members of the US Delegation felt Khalidy might still be persuaded to accept.

Sir Alan Burns and Mr. Laurentie agreed to the text of this resolution providing it included the three points which Khalidy had not yet accepted. It was suggested that this text be submitted, if Khalidy would agree, as an Iraq-US amendment to the Anglo-French text. In a move to increase the chances of getting Khalidy to accept this text, Sir Alan asked Mr. Laurentie if the UK might not introduce the Anglo-French text as a UK resolution alone. This might make it easier for Khalidy to accept the idea of proposing the new text as an amendment. Mr. Khalidy had previously informed both the US and UK Delegations that he would not under any circumstances agree to the idea of an Iraqi-US amendment to something that France had proposed, as this would give France an initiative which his delegation could not agree to. Mr. Laurentie accepted Sir Alan’s suggestion.

Sir Alan said that if Khalidy refused to acc’ept the new text, he thought we should revert to the text which he had agreed to yesterday in a meeting at the Department of State. Mr. McKay remarked that the new text was a text which would get France, the UK and the US into a lot less trouble in the Trusteeship Council and General Assembly. He wondered, since the British and French had just agreed to the new text in principle, if it would not be better to go ahead with the new text, with or without Khalidy’s co-sponsorship.

[Page 567]

Sir Alan agreed and suggested that the Thailand and Dominican Delegations be approached to seek their agreement or possible co-sponsorship of the new text whether or not Khalidy agreed to co-sponsorship. Mr. Sayre replied that the US Delegation would approach the Thailand and Dominican Delegations. Sir Alan suggested that if Khalidy refused to accept the above plan, the US, UK, and French Delegations discuss the situation again.

Vernon McKay
  1. There is no record of nine drafts as such in either the Department of State files or the files of the United States Mission to the united Nations.