320/11–2752: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Department of State
Delga 277. Subject: Membership. Prospect that ad hoc pol comite will not reach membership question before adjournment is now receding, despite possibility that Austrian question wld be transferred over from comite one. We doubt that simple move to postpone membership question to next session would succeed, and do not believe US shld take initiative for such postponement.
Our latest info indicates that Central Americans will introduce res for ICJ reference, and that Belaunde will press for admission of Italy by GA without further proceedings in SC. We anticipate Sovs will introduce their package proposal.
In looking at this situation, we see two principal lines of action which might be followed in order to avoid undesirable action by GA at present session. One such course wld be amendment of Sov package proposal so that GA wld request SC to reconsider all pending applications. UK, however, has indicated recently it wld have considerable difficulty in going along with this approach. We also question whether this approach wld be the most effective in heading off contemporaneous adoption of other resolutions.
The second course of action to which staff has given some consideration is idea of setting up a comite to study membership problem between 7th and 8th sessions. Such a comite might be composed of reps of perhaps nine UN members, and wld be asked to report results of its study to next GA. According to our present thinking such proposal wld have maximum chance of defeating Soviet package and of constituting sole action which GA wld take on membership at 7th session. If we were to move along these lines, we wld question desirability of [Page 873] seeking GA endorsement for application of Japan or for applications of 3 Indochinese states. Our doubts on this score are raised (1) by belief that Japan and Indochinese states secured maximum and most impressive majority in SC and wld fare less well in GA voting, and (2) by inconsistency of proposal for committee study with adoption by GA of other res on membership at this time.
If we were to pursue idea of comite to study membership problem, we would need to begin consultation with selected dels urgently. Request Dept’s views on this course of action, which is reflected in fol tentative draft res:
Begin verbatim text.
- 1.
- Recalling that it has expressed to the SC the Assembly’s support for the application for membership of (blank) states and the SC has not recommended favorably the applications of any of the said (blank) states in spite of the opinion expressed by a majority of the GA and in spite of the fact that these applications have all received 7 or more affirmative votes,
- 2.
- Recalling that the GA by res 267 (III recommended to the permanent members of the SC that they seek agreement among themselves on possible decisions by the SC, giving favorable considerations to votes on membership applications, upon which they might forebear to exercise their veto when 7 affirmative votes have already been cast in the council,
- 3.
- Recalling that the ICJ, as the principal judicial organ of the UN, has twice at the request of the GA rendered advisory opinions on the question of membership,
- 4.
- Recalling that one permanent member of the SC has on (blank) occasions cast a negative vote in the SC on a membership application which received 7 or more affirmative votes,
- 5.
- Believes that the question of membership in the UN needs consideration in the light of the concept of universality which is basic to the development of the UN,
- 6.
- Noting the suggestions which have been made by members of the GA, in draft resolutions and in debate, for differing approaches intended to arrive at the admission to membership in the UN of those states which are applicants and which are supported by a substantial majority of the Assembly and the SC,
- 7.
- Mindful of the provisions of Art 4 of the charter of the UN,
- 8.
- Establishes a special comite on UN membership composed of (approx 9 UN member states),
- 9.
- Requests the special comite on UN membership to consider and study the question of the admission of states to membership in the UN in the light of the debates in the GA, taking into account all proposals which have been made in the GA or which may be submitted by members of the UN to the comite;
- 10.
- Requests the comite to consult with any comite which the SC may designate to cooperate with it, and to hear any views the SYG may wish to express;
- 11.
- Requests the comite to report its conclusions to the 8th regular session of the GA and to submit its report to the SYG for distribution to the members of the UN 2 months before the commencement of the 8th regular session; and
- 12.
- Requests the SYG to furnish to the comite the staff and facilities required for the performance of its duties.
End verbatim text.