315.3/12–652

The Acting Secretary of State to the Attorney General of the United States (McGranery)1

confidential

My Dear Mr. Attorney General: Transmitted herewith is a copy of a letter the Secretary General of the United Nations has addressed to Ambassador Austin requesting that evidence be made available to him upon the basis of which he could reach his own independent conclusions concerning the continued employment of persons who have appeared before the Grand Jury.

You will recall that on October 9, 1952 officers of the Department of State conveyed to officers of your Department Mr. Lie’s oral request that certain information concerning the testimony of UN employees before the Grand Jury be made available to him, and the reply made on your behalf that Rule 6(e) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure prohibited the disclosure to Mr. Lie of the information.

I am sure you will agree, as you did on that occasion, that it would be highly desirable to furnish Mr. Lie the information he has requested and that you fully appreciate his request. In the event, however, that this request should be subject to the same reply which you previously [Page 319] made, I would like to suggest another possibility appropriate to his purposes. The names of the persons appearing before the Grand Jury-are known to you. Much information concerning them is available from sources other than the Grand Jury hearings, most particularly in investigative files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We would, therefore, appreciate your considering what evidence, from any sources, you might make available to the Secretary General. The foregoing would apply not only to those persons who have appeared before the Grand Jury but with respect to any other employees of the United Nations, concerning whom you may have in investigative files of your Department information which you consider significant in this consideration. I would note that there are presently still in full employment status on the United Nations rolls certain persons with respect to whose continued employment the Department of State has commented adversely to the United Nations.

You may wish to consider whether you would want to make such evidence or reports as you could furnish to the Secretary General of the United Nations available directly to him or through this Department.

Sincerely yours,

David Bruce
  1. Drafted by Richard J. Kerry of the Division of International Administration and the Director of the Office of International Administration and Conferences (Ingram).