IO Files
Minutes of Thirty-fifth Meeting of the United States Delegation to the General Assembly, Paris, December 20, 1951
US/A/M (Chr)/222
[Here follow list of persons present (48) and discussion of a prior agenda item. Mrs. Roosevelt was in the chair.]
2. Review of the Security Council Elections Situation.
Mr. Taylor recalled that on the last ballot, the fifteenth,1 Greece had had 36 votes to Byelorussia’s 23. There would be one more restricted ballot and then if a two-thirds’ majority were not obtained, the balloting would again become unrestricted. He estimated that the situation from the US point of view was somewhat better than it had been at the end of the balloting the week before. A “precision campaign” had been undertaken with a view to obtaining the necessary extra votes or abstentions to secure the election of Greece.
[Page 134]Mr. Taylor mentioned that Mrs. Roosevelt had talked with Mr. Sharett of Israel about this matter. The Israeli Foreign Minister indicated that he might ask the Greek delegation what its attitude was with regard to the Palestine problem, in order to determine whether it might be possible to switch to Greece.
From Djakarta had come word that the Indonesian delegate would receive instructions to vote for Greece. Ambassador Jessup had approached the Swedish Foreign Minister with a view to securing an abstention on the part of Sweden but Mr. Unden had not made any commitment on the matter. Mr. Cohen had talked with the Uruguayans, who agreed to switch to Greece.
Approaches in Oslo and Copenhagen indicated that at least in Denmark the preference was still for Byelorussia, but that if a stalemate continued, they might switch to Greece. In conversations with the South Africans nothing had been heard which indicated they would return to the Plenary to cast their vote for Greece. If they did return it would be for that purpose, however.
Ambassador Gross felt that the deadlock must be resolved at the plenary meeting of that day, inasmuch as it would be the last time an election could be held before the Christmas recess and before the year’s end. It would be highly undesirable to allow the year to end without a legally constituted Security Council to take up its duties in January. He offered to indicate to both Padilla Nervo and Lie the US concern over such a situation, and its willingness to remain all night if need be to solve this problem on the sole basis that the Council could not do business with only ten elected members.
Mr. Maffitt reported that on the last ballot Mexico, Guatemala and Uruguay had voted for Byelorussia. Now Uruguay had switched to Greece. In view of the change in attitude of Guatemala in Committee One, perhaps they would switch to Greece. Chile would definitely vote for Greece.
Mr. Utter reported that the Danes and Norwegians were waiting on each other to switch to Greece before themselves changing. Iceland was trying to persuade both of them to change. The result ought to be known before long.
Ambassador Gross reiterated his belief that the deadlock must be broken. Small states, it could be pointed out, had the greatest stake in a properly constituted and functioning Security Council. The clock and the calendar were pressing for a solution. Mrs. Roosevelt noted that this was the only effective argument that she had been able to use with Mr. Sharett. Mr. Cohen wondered whether Israel knew the Greeks were not indebted to the Arabs for any measure of support. Mrs. Roosevelt pointed but that the basis of the Israeli position was that there were many Greeks in Egypt with whom Greece carried on [Page 135] trade. This, they felt, would make it necessary for Greece to be amenable to the Arabs. Then when a successor to Turkey from the Arab bloc would be elected next year, the Council would be stacked against Israel.
Mr. Plitt had just talked with Kyrou, who had found out only recently that three Arabs had voted for Greece. Apparently the Arabs were now trying to forge a common front for Greece.
Ambassador Key was surprised at the Indonesian instructions reported in the telegram from Djakarta. He proposed to approach India and Burma with this news and try to persuade them to reconsider their positions.
[Here follows brief discussion of matters not on the agenda.]