Office of the Historian

Hickerson–Murphy–Key files, lot 58 D 33, “Ambassador Lodge”

Memorandum by the Deputy United States Representative at the United Nations (Gross) to the United States Representative at the United Nations (Lodge)

secret
[New York,] March 3, 1953.
  • Subject:
  • Appointment of a Secretary General

Sir Gladwyn Jebb told me yesterday afternoon he had discussed the question of the appointment of a Secretary General at lunch on Monday with six other members of the Security Council, excluding Lebanon (the Lebanese Representative not being here), the Soviet Union, China and ourselves. He said he was convinced from his discussion that “no candidate other than Pearson could get seven votes in the Security Council”.

Jebb referred (more in regret than in anger) to your reluctance to discuss the question with him on any specific basis, and said he felt he had to “keep the thing moving”. He asked me to tell you, therefore, that he is planning to request a Security Council meeting to take up the question, perhaps early next week.

I told Jebb I would report this to you, but that I did not think it appropriate for me to discuss the matter with him. However, I told Jebb that Pearson had told Jack Ross and myself that he did not want his name bandied about and was reluctant to have his name put forward merely to be rejected. Jebb seemed quite uncertain about Pearson’s attitude in this respect and said he thought perhaps he should have a talk with Pearson.

Jebb’s idea is that even if Pearson is turned down on the first round, if other names are put forward and they are turned down, Pearson could be advanced again and possibly would be accepted on the second round.

Jebb’s proposal to call for a Security Council meeting to take up the question of the appointment of a Secretary General at this time seems to me to raise at least three questions: [Page 442]

(1)
The unfortunate aspect of taking this problem up before the Personnel item is disposed of;
(2)
The poor tactics, it seems to me, of putting Pearson’s name, or anybody else’s name forward, merely to be vetoed;
(3)
Taking up the question of the appointment of a Secretary General before the Korean item is finished in Committee 1.

We have information that Bokhari has tried unsuccessfully to obtain Soviet reactions to Pearson.