Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, United Nations Affairs, Volume III

320/9–2553: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Mission at the United Nations ¹

confidential

Washington, September 25, 1953—4 p.m.

Gadel 10. Re: Charter Review

1. Principal US objectives in any action on Charter review this GA session are as follows:

a. Stimulate international and domestic interest and preparations so that positions taken when Charter Review conference actually called will reflect careful, thoughtful and realistic appraisal of problems by maximum number of people, private groups, etc.

b. Avoid committing US directly or by inference to adoption of any substantive position, and avoid forecasting probable US positions.

c. Keep GA debate procedural, emphasizing that governments including US are obviously not prepared with final positions; engaging in substantive debate now would needlessly increase world tensions.

d. Avoid creating UN machinery in form of committees, etc., which would have nothing constructive to do until governmental positions made known.

e. Utilize GA resolution(s) to clarify definitively the real confusion we detect at home and abroad as to timing of Charter review process. This need, recently emphasized to Department by Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff and officers of interested private groups, suggests desirability of single resolution which has this as an important purpose.

2. As to resolution, we can envisage one which clearly spells out timetable in preamble; operative section on Dutch proposal for submission of government views would be geared to need for a base on which 1955 GA can intelligently consider convening of review conference; Argentine proposals for preparation of documentation would follow in same context. In view of Delga 14,² if separate resolutions absolutely unavoidable, would be desirable for Dutch proposal re repertory of practices to cross-refer clearly to preparation of this and related materials by Secretariat pursuant to Argentine resolution. Dutch draft resolution seems to us susceptible of improvement on these various counts. Department suggests approaching various sponsors on possibility of one consolidated resolution, using argument of need for simplicity and clarification.

3. Would appreciate Delegation views on possibility of incorporating in Dutch proposal thought contained in Secretary’s opening speech re views of non-member states. Could “Member States” in penultimate sentence Dutch draft resolution be changed to read “all States”?

4. If, as Meeker reported by telephone to Bloomfield, Egyptian item is meeting negative response, US Del might consider ways of quietly interring it before it is debated, possibly by persuading Egyptians to withdraw item. Alternative possibility would be to add to principal resolution a final operative clause suggesting that 1955 GA will doubtless wish consider creation of appropriate preparatory machinery both for review conference arrangements and to consider those proposals which will have by then been submitted by governments under Dutch item.

5. Soviet bloc reaction in GA and in commie press indicates this whole question could rapidly become an East-West issue even before policies are actually formulated. This is probably inevitable, but support among our friends for the active interest we wish taken in Charter review might be enhanced by reasoned line emphasizing our desire to see if there are ways to strengthen instrument of international cooperation, our open mind as to useful improvements, our desire to examine the views of all other members, and our consequent emphasis on purely procedural approach at this time. Where possible “Review” should be used instead of “Revision”.

6. GA Del’s attention invited to The Hague’s despatch 306 Sept. 16,³ passed to USUN, reporting Belgian displeasure with Dutch initiative at GA.

Dulles

1. Drafted by Lincoln P. Bloomfield of the United Nations Planning Staff, Bureau of United Nations Affairs. Cleared with the Deputy Director of the Office of United Nations Political and Security Affairs (Popper), the Bureau of European Affairs (Bonbright?), the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs (George N. Monsma), the Bureau of Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs (Harry N. Howard), and the Legal Adviser’s office (initials illegible). Approved for transmission by the Assistant Secretary for United Nations Affairs (Murphy) and signed by William Sanders, Planning Adviser, Bureau of United Nations Affairs.
2. Not printed.
3. Not printed.