Office of the Historian

320/8–1754

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Secretary of State for united Nations Affairs (Key)1

confidential
[Washington,] August 17, 1954.
  • Subject:
  • Chinese Representation in the United Nations.
  • Participants:
  • Sir Robert Scott, Minister, British Embassy
  • Mr. Robert Murphy, Deputy Under Secretary of State
  • Mr. David McK. Key, Assistant Secretary for United Nations Affairs

Mr. Murphy opened the meeting by explaining to Sir Robert that he had asked the latter to come to the Department for the purpose of seeking a US–UK understanding on the subject of Chinese representation at the forthcoming 9th General Assembly. Mr. Murphy stressed the vital importance of this issue in American politics of which he felt certain Sir Robert was fully aware and reminded Sir Robert of the statement made by Prime Minister Churchill in the House of Commons on July 14, 1954 to the effect that Red China could not be admitted to the UN so long as they were technically at war with the latter. Mr. Murphy then handed to Sir Robert the text of a formula, which he described as reflecting our present thinking and which might cover the position of both governments and which read as follows:

“The Ninth General Assembly,

Decides not to consider any proposals to exclude the representatives of the Government of the Republic of China and to seat representatives of the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China.”

Mr. Murphy stated the urgent desirability of early agreement on this very important question between the two governments and the hope that the UK would meet us on it.

Sir Robert stated that he would be glad to convey this formula to his government with a view to obtaining the latter’s views. Up to the present, no instructions had been received regarding his government’s attitude. He asked whether the formula envisaged a limited period of time or whether it would apply for the duration of the 9th GA and was informed that we had in mind the latter. Sir Robert foresaw that this might raise some difficulties since the British position had always been that it did not wish to commit itself beyond a limited period. Reverting to Prime Minister Churchill’s statement, Sir Robert said that the Foreign Office had indicated that the statement applied to a resumed session of which there had been talk at that time. It did not apparently apply to the forthcoming General Assembly.

[Page 755]

In closing Sir Robert stated that he was fully cognizant of the intensity of American political sentiment on this issue and that he would get in touch with the Department as soon as he had obtained the views of his government about the formula which Mr. Murphy had given him.

[Here follows discussion of two other matters.]

  1. The substance of this conversation in regard to the Chinese representation question was conveyed to London in telegram 1006 and to USUN in telegram 104, both Aug. 19, 7:10 p.m. (320/8–1954).↩