310.2/11–154: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Mission at the united Nations1
Gadel 78. Re: Membership. As indicated Gadel 69 we favor UK draft resolution providing for continuation for Good Offices Committee (Delga 139). We do not consider Indian proposal (Delga 168) acceptable substitute.
Preambular provisions Indian draft generally duplicate British text except that latter has advantage of specific declaration of principle of universality of membership of qualified states. We believe continuation of Good Offices Committee with present membership preferable any effort establish special SC subcommittee. In our view it would be extremely difficult for SC to agree upon composition membership subcommittee, particularly since in past membership question has been handled by separate SC committee of whole. Undoubtedly five permanent members would insist upon inclusion. On other hand, we see some advantage in maintaining existing Good Offices Committee without Great Power participation. Gadel might wish remind Menon USSR supported Good Offices Committee last year which in our view undermines his position that Indian draft alone maintains favorable atmosphere and keeps membership problem out of “cold war”. At same time, while we see no particular advantage and seriously doubt usefulness, we would not oppose GA request that SC reconsider pending membership applications. Relevance Rule 138 seems questionable since GA has no special SC membership report and can always request SC reconsider pending applications as it has done in past without reference to rule.
Department believes might be appropriate to seek combination British and Indian proposals so that (1) Good Office Committee continued and (2) SC requested reconsider pending applications and report 10th GA.
We do not agree that adoption Indian proposal, whether as now drafted or combined with UK resolution, would make unnecessary vote on resolution covering Laos and Cambodia. This is separate item before Committee, on which we believe resolution useful if only to re-emphasize USSR alone continues bear responsibility for exclusion these two states.
- drafted by Brown (UNP), cleared with the geographic bureaus (except ARA), and signed by Popper.↩