320/8–1954: Telegram
The Chargé in the Republic of China (Cochran) to the Department of State
125. Department also pass USUN unnumbered. Embassy has received memo from Foreign Office on Chinese representation issue at ninth session UNGA. Text memo being air pouched. Summary follows: [Page 756]
Expressing gratification at US firm stand against admitting Peiping regime into UN, Chinese Government asks closer cooperation, more frequent contacts with US against Commies redoubled efforts at ninth session UNGA to get Peiping into UN. Chinese Government endorses Dulles July 8 statement that question of Chinese representation in UN is important matter and properly subject to veto in Security Council.
Chinese Government is canvassing friendly governments through its Missions abroad to obtain support on Chinese representation issue at next session UNGA. Record of UN members indicates that, apart from US and China, 18 certain support Chinese, support of 12 others almost certain, that of 9 others hopeful, 8 likely to abstain and 11, including Russia and satellites, will vote against China. Chinese Government asks US in approaching UN members to support Chinese Government to give special attention to wavering of unfavorable free nations, notably Afghanistan, Burma, Denmark, Ethiopia, France, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Liberia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Syria, UK and Yemen. Chinese Government asks be informed of US action and results above.
Chinese representation issue, raised every year in UNGA since its fifth session, was disposed of procedurally without vote on its substance. At eighth session UNGA issue was postponed for duration of session for current year. This formula gives impression UN is awaiting a more opportune time to admit Peiping regime. Chinese Government wishes stronger resolution in support of its UN representation but does not underestimate difficulty of obtaining majority vote for its adoption. Strategy on dealing with issue may have to be worked out at delegation level at UNGA ninth session but Chinese Government hopes US Government will bear above view in mind. If it should clearly appear that such a substantive resolution would greatly reduce number of favorable votes, and might fail of passage, Chinese Government would prefer commit-submitted resolution favoring Peiping be rejected by UNGA to adoption of procedural resolution to postpone decision. In case of procedural resolution, it should state that UNGA decided not to discuss Chinese representation and should leave out mention of postponing its consideration or any qualifier of time such as “in the current year”. Insertion of qualifiers of time in a counter-resolution is unnecessary and psychologically undesirable.