315/3–1653
The Assistant Secretary of State (Hickerson) to the United States-Representative at the United Nations (Lodge)
Dear Cabot: Yesterday Carlos Romulo was in town and talked to the Secretary on the telephone. This morning the Secretary received a letter from Romulo, in his own handwriting, dated March 15. I [Page 444] enclose a copy of that letter.1 Romulo’s letter was sent to me today with a memorandum from Rod O’Connor, in the Secretary’s office, reading as follows:
“The Secretary talked on the phone Sunday with Romulo on this point. Letter covers gist of conversation. Will you move ahead on this with Lodge?”
The Secretary has been tied up all day and I have not had a chance to talk with him about this, but O’Connor was in the room with the Secretary when Mr. Dulles talked with Romulo on the telephone. O’Connor says that the Secretary listened to Romulo; made no commitment other than to have the matter looked into.
O’Connor says that the Secretary asked that I send you Romulo’s letter for your consideration.
Needless to say, I shall be glad to help you in every way I can whenever you think I can be of assistance in connection with this whole matter of the election of the Secretary General.
Yours sincerely,
- In this letter, not printed, Romulo referred to the Russian veto on Pearson for the post of Secretary-General and presented his reasons for thinking that his own election could be assured if the United States would support him strongly and tell the U.S.S.R. to choose between him and Lie.↩