320/12–352: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Mission at the United Nations1
Gadel 82. Re Membership. In conv with Hickerson today, Italian Amb officially informed us Italy is not interested in any type of “interim membership”. Amb stated Italy had consulted large number UN members this matter, and response recd was that Italy shld not seek any UN status less than full membership. Italian Govt considers acceptance provisional or associate membership wld be humiliating and wld not fulfill pledges made in Italian Peace Treaty and Potsdam Declaration re membership for Italy.
Hickerson mentioned to Amb possibility of GA creating special intersessional comite to study membership problem and report back either to GA session next spring (i.e. prior to May 1953 elections) or to GA session in fall 1953. Amb expressed approval idea of such comite since it wld indicate continued UN concern with problem and UN desire to find solution.
If it has not already done so, suggest Gadel may wish seek reaction Jap observer to establishment inter-sessional comite as possible course of action.
- Drafted by Jones and concurred in by Popper of UNP, cleared with the Office of Western European Affairs and the Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, and signed by Hickerson.↩