Office of the Historian

UNP files, lot 59 D 237, “Membership”

Memorandum by the Secretary of State to the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (Key)1

secret
[Washington,] October 19, 1954.

I have your memorandum of October 18th. I am disposed to let this matter coast for the time being. I think it useful to have formulated the idea and to have brought it to the attention of other delegations. However, in view of the lukewarm response and the fact that Italy would only act as a favor to the United States, I am disposed to let the matter continue in the present status for this session. I think it constitutes a useful prelude to possible Charter amendment and it suggests an alternative which could perhaps be usefully adopted at the Charter Review Conference if the Soviet Union vetoes a Charter review amendment.

I think that our delegation should make it clear to other delegations that we believe that the United Nations is bound to wither away unless it becomes more universal. Perhaps if this idea seeps in for a year, it will bear some fruit next year.2

J[ohn] F[oster] D[ulles]
  1. Drafted by the Secretary of State; initialled for Dulles by Roderic L. O’Connor, Special Assistant to the Secretary of State.↩

  2. In a memorandum of Oct. 20, Brown (UNP) informed Sisco in New York of the Dulles decision:

    “I attach for your information two copies of the memorandum on the above subject which the Secretary sent to Mr. Key in response to our memorandum putting up the idea of possibly going ahead on the basis of declarations from Japan and Italy. We will try to reflect in the draft US statement the emphasis which the Secretary places on the importance of the UN becoming more universal and include a fairly detailed statement of our position on non-member participation proposal as something to which serious consideration must be given if the present impasse on membership continues.” (UNP files, lot 59 D 237, “Membership”)

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