Office of the Historian

745K.00/2–2952

Memorandum of Conversation, by an Adviser of the United States Delegation to the Trusteeship Council (Cargo)1

restricted
[New York,] February 29, 1952.
  • Subject:
  • The Ewe Question

After the meeting of the Trusteeship Council on Friday, February 29, Sir Alan Burns made a point of expressing to me his appreciation for the “support and assistance” which the United States had given the United Kingdom and France in connection with their desire to have the Visiting Mission to West Africa arrive in the Togolands as late as possible. (He referred to the fact that, after the British and French delegations had outlined the various reasons why it would be impossible for them to receive a visiting mission before September 1, Ambassador Sayre had proposed that the Council decide that the visiting mission assemble at Headquarters in August, arrive in the Togolands not later than September 1, spend 30 days in investigations in the territory, and prepare their report in time for examination by the Trusteeship Council at a session to convene not later than November 7.) Although the vote on the matter was postponed at the request [Page 1189] of the Soviet representative, Sir Alan said he had no doubt that the Council would give broad support to the proposed time table.2

  1. Drafted by Cargo in Washington on Mar. 3.↩
  2. On Mar. 27 the Trusteeship Council decided to send a mission to visit the four Trust Territories in West Africa in 1952. British and French Togoland were visited in August and September; and British and French Cameroons in October and November.↩