UNP files, lot 59 D 237, “Membership”
Memorandum of Conversation, by the United Nations Adviser, Bureau of European Affairs (Allen)
- Subject:
- Membership Problem in UN
| Participants: | Count Guidotti, Italian Observer | ||
| Ambassador Lodge | } | US | |
| Mr. Ross (part of conversation) | |||
| Mr. W.P. Allen | |||
In the course of a general conversation, Count Guidotti made clear his Government does not intend at present to press actively any further steps to obtain Italy’s admission to the United Nations. He recalled they had made their one big, determined effort during the Paris session of the GA, at which time the problem was much simpler of solution, and found then it was impossible to obtain an agreement of enough of the major powers to accomplish their objective. They continue to stand, of course, on the tripartite declaration of a year and a half ago in which the Governments of the US, UK and France expressed their determination to make every effort to obtain Italy’s admission.
However, Guidotti raised the possibility that if as a result of the current apparent change of Kremlin tactics there should be an armistice in Korea, this might lead to seating the Chinese Communist representatives, which, in turn, would create a more propitious atmosphere on the whole problem of membership and perhaps re-open possibilities for some sort of arrangement to admit a number of the pending applicants.
[Page 939]Beyond recalling that he had been one of the first Senators strongly to espouse Italy’s admission and reiterating his belief that Italy should be a member, Ambassador Lodge was noncommittal on any immediate prospects.
In the course of the conversation, Count Guidotti did make clear his strong hope that whatever eventually might be done in the membership problem, it would not be necessary to include also the question of German membership since that was in turn so dependent upon the central question of German unity that to seek to include West German membership in the UN as part of any arrangement would thus preclude all practical possibilities indefinitely.
In response to a question Ambassador Guidotti stated he saw no possibility of any advance towards a solution of the membership problem being made through the Inter-Sessional Membership Study Committee which the first part of this Session had established. This, he implied, was simply a holding operation and in effect a waste of time since a solution to the membership deadlock, if and when it comes, will come about through changed circumstances and not through any work which such a Committee could perform.
[Here follows discussion of another matter.]