310.2/9–2553
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Johnson)1
- Subject:
- Associate Membership in the UN”
- Participants:
- Mr. Ryuji Takechi, Japanese Minister
- Mr. Hiroto Tanaka, First Secretary, Japanese Embassy
- Mr. U. Alexis Johnson, Deputy Assistant Secretary
- Mr. Robert J. G. McClurkin, Acting Director, NA
Mr. Takeuchi and Mr. Tanaka came in at their request. Mr. Takeuchi said that Ambassador Lodge and the Secretary had talked to the Japanese in Tokyo and to Ambassador Sawada in New York about the possibility of some kind of associate membership in the United Nations. His government would like to have more information about what we have in mind. He mentioned such questions as whether we thought that there might be an annual contribution for the Japanese to pay; whether they would have the right to talk; what the procedure for becoming an associate member would be; and what obligations as well as what rights they would have. He said that a questionnaire on this subject had been left with NA/J by Mr. Tanaka. I said that we would undertake to try to get answers to these questions and would then talk further with him, perhaps in company with Ambassador Murphy.
Mr. Takeuchi concluded by commenting that at the moment they were a little in the position of someone who is being asked how he would like to ride in a second class car which doesn’t exist and for which the plans had not yet been drawn.
- Drafted by McClurkin.↩