315.3/8–1453
The United States Representative at the United
Nations (
Lodge
) to
the Under Secretary of State for Administration (
Lourie
)
New York
, August 14,
1953.
Dear Don
: Enclosed is
copy of a letter from the Secretary General of the United Nations
emphasizing the urgent need for clearance of United States nationals
for positions in the Secretariat. A copy of my reply is also
enclosed.
I am also sending this correspondence to Mr. Pierce J.
Gerety, the Chairman of the International
Organizations Employees Loyalty Board.
[Page 346]
There is no need to stress to you the extreme importance of giving
Mr. Hammarskjold as
promptly as possible the reports he needs to place Americans in
international programs for which the United States pays most of the
bill.
According to my information, the plan is to have the Board meet only
twice a week. It would help very much if you would personally
contact the members to see whether they could not meet daily until
the backlog of cases has been substantially reduced.
I really feel that your assistance is urgently needed in this
matter.
Sincerely yours,
[Enclosure]
The Secretary-General of the United
Nations (
Hammarskjold
)
to the United States Representative at the
United Nations (
Lodge
)
New
York
, August 13, 1953.
My Dear Mr. Lodge
: I should
like to call to your attention the current situation regarding
the recruitment of United States citizens to posts in the
Secretariat of the United Nations.
As you know, the United Nations has a long-standing policy,
approved by the General Assembly, under which the large majority
of staff members needed in the General Service and Manual
Workers categories are recruited locally, for reasons of
economy. This, of necessity, means that the major source of such
candidates is from among United States citizens.
Furthermore, additional staff needed for sessions of the General
Assembly which are held in New York have also been predominantly
local recruits and again United States citizens have constituted
the large majority of this group. Due to somewhat abnormal
turnover conditions, there are a large number of vacancies at
the moment both in the General Service and Professional
categories. The resumed meetings of the seventh session of the
General Assembly beginning on 17 August will necessitate filling
some of these vacancies. For the regular session beginning in
September a much greater number of staff members must be
recruited.
Beginning on 10 February 1953 we have sent personal data to your
Government, in accordance with United States Executive Orders
Nos. 10422 and 10459, on 429 prospective United States
candidates for United Nations employment. Since that time we
have received reports from your office relating to 59 of these
candidates. Twenty of this number had already been employed,
prior to receiving your reports, for the resumed meetings of the
seventh session of the General Assembly held earlier this year.
Of the remaining 39, however, only 4 were still available for
employment following the receipt of your [Page 347] reports, and three of these resigned
within a fortnight after employment due to commitments they had
already made for other jobs.
The new Executive Order No. 10459 provided for what we hoped
would be quick reports on candidates urgently needed for
employment for periods of 90 days or less. Accordingly, we began
to identify such candidates in sending information to your
office; since 24 June we have submitted 25 cases. So far as I am
aware we have received a report from your office on only one of
these individuals.
I felt that you should be fully informed of this problem,
trusting that the situation will be reviewed in order to see
what can be done to expedite these reports. In the meantime, I
feel sure that you will understand that in the urgent interest
of the Organization I shall have to take all necessary steps in
order to furnish the General Assembly and other organs with
staff sufficient to their needs.
Yours very sincerely,
[Subenclosure]
The United States Representative at the United
Nations (
Lodge
) to the Secretary General of the United
Nations (
Hammarskjold
)
New
York
, August 14, 1953.
My Dear Mr. Hammarskjold
: Thank you for your letter of
August 13 concerning the recruitment of United States nationals
for positions in the Secretariat of the United Nations.
You are right in saying that practical difficulties arise from
the delays which you mention. I am confident that the log jam
will be broken in the near future.
As you know, the International Organizations Employees Loyalty
Board has now been constituted and is commencing its work. You
have my assurance that everything possible will be done, through
the Chairman of the Board and through the investigative agencies
concerned, to expedite the reports for which you are
waiting.
You will be interested to know that according to information
which has just reached me, twenty-six investigations are being
held up by the United Nations Administrative Officer, Government
House, Jerusalem, who is reported to be under some doubt as to
whether he has authority to release unprivileged information
concerning individuals under investigation. I am informed that
he will do so only on instructions from New York. May I suggest
that you may wish to issue urgent instructions to ensure that
the practice of the United Nations Jerusalem Office with respect
to this matter is brought into conformity with the procedures
being followed at the United Nations Headquarters in New
York.
Sincerely yours,
