ODA Files, Lot 60 D 512

Discussion Brief for Bilateral Talks on Colonial Policy To Be Held at London and Paris (Agenda Item V)

confidential

Item V: The Question of Further Diplomatic Approaches to Other Member States of the United Nations Prior to the 1951 General Assembly.

I. Problem: To determine the advisability of making diplomatic approaches regarding dependent area questions to other Member States of the United Nations prior to the 1951 General Assembly.

II. Recommended United States Position:

A. The Department believes that much good will and a better understanding would be created by U.S. consulting frankly on dependent area questions with the non-administering members of the U.N., other than the Soviet bloc, as well as with the administering Members.

B. Such consultations would be most effective, in our opinion, if they were bilateral discussions between the U.S. and each of the non-administering States.

C. In accordance with the foregoing, the Department has consulted on dependent area questions with representatives of the Washington Missions of the Near Eastern [and Far Eastern]1 countries; and has requested U.S. Missions in the Latin American countries to hold similar consultations with the Foreign Offices of the Governments to which they are accredited.

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D. The Department has in most cases discussed the following questions with the afore-named Governments:

1.
General Questions
a.
Basic views of the United States and ______ with respect to questions involving non-self-governing peoples and the treatment of such questions in the United Nations
b.
Relationship of General Assembly (Committee Four) to the Trusteeship Council and to the Special Committee on Information Transmitted under Article 73 (e) of the Charter
c.
The functioning of the Trusteeship Council
d.
The functioning of the Special Committee on Information Transmitted under Article 73(e) of the Charter
2.
Specific Questions
a.
South West Africa
b.
Italian participation in the Trusteeship Council
c.
General Assembly consideration of Trusteeship Council procedures.
d.
The transmission of political information under Article 73(e)
e.
The question of “the factors which should be taken into account in deciding whether a territory is or is not a territory whose peoples have not yet achieved a full measure of self-government”
f.
The Ewe and Togoland Unification questions

The British [French] [Belgians]2 are familiar with the U.S. views on these topics.

E. The U.K. [French] [Belgian]2 Government, if it has not already done so, may also wish to consider the desirability of consulting on dependent area questions before, during, and after the General Assembly, with non-administering Members of the U.N., when it believes that such consultations would be productive.

  1. Brackets in the source text.
  2. Brackets in the source text.
  3. Brackets in the source text.