315.3/12–652
The Secretary-General of the United Nations (Lie) to the United States Representative at the United Nations (Austin)
My Dear Senator Austin: You are aware of my great concern over recent disclosures regarding U.S. citizens on my staff charged with having engaged in subversive activities and of the measures I have taken to meet this problem in a manner satisfactory to both the United Nations and its host country.1
I should like to express my appreciation to you for the assistance given to me by the U.S. Mission in regard to this problem and in particular for having made available to me the official records of the Senate Internal Security Sub-Committee relating to personnel of the Secretariat. I have found these records most helpful.
In this morning’s paper I have read the presentment of the Federal Grand Jury “on disloyalty of certain U.S. citizens at the United Nations” which was submitted to the U.S. District Court yesterday. This presentment, as you are no doubt aware, contains a number of conclusions involving serious charges against members of the staff of the United Nations who are not specifically identified.
Although these conclusions bare directly on my responsibility as Secretary-General I have not received the records of the Grand Jury proceedings, nor have I received official information setting forth the facts on which the conclusions of the Grand Jury have been based. I am sure you will agree that in view of the conclusions made public there should be made available to me either the records of the Grand Jury relating to personnel of the United Nations, or, if this cannot be done, an official statement of the specific evidence on which the conclusions of the Grand Jury have been based. I wish to assure you that any such information declared to be confidential will be held by me in strict confidence.
In this connection I should like to draw your attention to the recent opinion submitted to me by a commission of eminent jurists which recommended that if the Secretary-General is satisfied that he has reasonable grounds for believing that a member of the staff is engaged [Page 318] or is likely to engage in activities regarded as disloyal by the host country the officer concerned should no longer be employed in that country.
The Commission pointed out that where such allegations have been made against a staff member a full inquiry by the Secretary-General is required and that in such an inquiry it would be highly desirable if the Member State in question could give the Secretary-General not only the general conclusions but also the evidence upon which the Member State has come to that conclusion. They state in this connection “to put the Secretary-General on inquiry and to withhold the evidence places him in a position of great embarrassment”. It is recognized by the Commission of Jurists that the information received would have to (be) kept confidential if the Member State so requests.
In view of the wide publicity given to the conclusions of the Grand Jury I consider it highly desirable, indeed essential in fairness to me and my staff, that the evidence for the conclusions be made available to me as quickly as possible. I should be most grateful for your assistance in this respect.
Sincerely yours,
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On Oct. 11, 1952, Secretary-General Lie stated publicly his policy on the personnel question: he did not want Americans in the UN Secretariat who were disloyal to the United States, nor had he ever knowingly employed such Americans.
On Oct. 23, Lie announced his intention to submit the personnel problem to a group of Jurists from three Member countries “for advice”.
At approximately the same time Lie suspended certain U.S. personnel of the Secretariat who had refused to answer questions of the Senate Subcommittee.
The background of these events is outlined comprehensively in the Secretary-General’s “Report … on Personnel Policy”, UN Doc. A/2364, Jan. 30, 1953. For this and texts of related items, including the “Opinion of the Commission of Jurists, 29 November 1952”, see United Nations, Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventh Session, Annexes, agenda item 75.
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