330/5–1754: Telegram
The United States Representative at the United Nations (Lodge) to the Department of State
732. Re SC elections and presidency Ninth GA. Ambassador Franco y Franco of the Dominican Republic called at his request this afternoon to ascertain US position on Presidency of ninth GA. He said he had received letter from Netherlands requesting support of Van Kleffens and assumed this same request was being sent to all delegates. I told him our position had not yet become definite and that we [Page 542] knew about the existence of a Netherlands candidate and also about the availability of Thailand, but that I would try to find out and let him know. Strongly recommend that Department make up its mind as fast as possible along lines of mytel 678, April 30. Still believe it is vital to take care of Thailand in one way or the other, especially in view of situation in Indochina and of possibility that Thailand may at any moment bring in a complaint to the UN requesting peace observation commission in Indochina.
It seems to me elections to Presidency and SC must also be considered across the board in relation to elections to trusteeship council, ECOSOC and other important posts. For example, would it be possible to maintain a Benelux representative in ECOSOC in line with views expressed by Hotchkis in his memorandum of April 30, 1954 to Key?1
- Letter not found in Department of State files.↩