320/8–1852
Memorandum of Conversation, by Claude G. Ross of the Office of Dependent Area Affairs1
- Subject:
- Netherlands Memorandum concerning the policy to be followed by the Administering Powers in the Committee on Information from Non-Self-Governing Territories and in the General Assembly.
- Participants:
- Mr. Gabriel van Laethem, First Secretary, French Embassy
- Mr. Benjamin Gerig, UND
- Mr. Ward Allen, EUR
- Mr. Claude G. Ross, UND
Mr. van Laethem explained that he had called to inquire whether we had answered the memorandum from the Netherlands Embassy containing suggestions of the Netherlands Foreign Office concerning the policy to be followed by the Administering Powers in the Committee on Information from Non-Self-Governing Territories and the General Assembly and, if so, what answer we had made.
Mr. Gerig stated that we had replied to two of the tactical questions raised by the Netherlands Government but that we had not replied to the other specific questions as our positions were still being examined within the Department. We had indicated to the Netherlands Embassy that the United States was probably in general agreement with a number of the specific suggestions but that our reply would be given in more detail later. The two questions which we had answered were those concerning (1) the desirability of a formal meeting of all the administering powers to consider various matters that would [be] raised in the United Nations and (2) the desirability of considering the use of “sanctions” by the administering powers to defend their viewpoint.
With regard to the first point Mr. Gerig said that we had expressed the view that a meeting of the kind suggested would be inadvisable at this time as it might easily create the impression among non-administering Members that the administering powers were preparing to take a concerted stand against them in United Nations bodies. Such an impression would tend to stimulate group action among non-administering Members which could easily be to our disadvantage. We had, of course, emphasized to the Netherlands Embassy that we desired to consult with the Netherlands, as well as with other Members, as fully and frequently as in the past on matters of common interest and that we looked forward to continuing full exchanges of views at the time of the meeting of the Committee on Information from Non-Self-Governing Territories and during the General Assembly.
[Page 1212]In the matter of recourse to sanctions, particularly the suggestion that in certain contingencies the administering powers should jointly refuse to participate further in the Committee on Information from Non-Self-Governing Territories or the Fourth Committee of the General Assembly, Mr. Gerig stated that we had strongly advised against the use of sanctions as an effective or desirable course of action. The use of sanctions would only prejudice our position in the General Assembly, antagonize still further non-administering Members and expose us to accusations that we were adopting the kind of tactics employed by the Soviet Union and its satellites.
Mr. van Laethem said that the French Government had acknowledged the Netherlands memorandum in somewhat similar fashion, indicating general agreement with some of the suggestions contained in it but stating that replies to specific points would be made in later conversations prior to the General Assembly. He said he understood that the United Kingdom thought each administering power should circulate to the others its reply to the Netherlands memorandum but that his Government did not favor this idea. Concerning the efficacy of sanctions Mr. van Laethem agreed that a walkout by one power would accomplish nothing but he felt that there might be a case where a walkout by all the administering powers could be most effective. He admitted, however, that it would be difficult to foresee or plan for such a situation in advance.
Mr. Gerig and Mr. Allen both emphasized that the administering powers should not adopt a defensive attitude in the United Nations but should present their arguments fully and firmly. Mr. van Laethem agreed with Mr. Allen that the French Government had on occasion been needlessly defensive in the past. In this connection Mr. van Laethem said that if his Government agreed to the inscription of the Tunisian issue in the agenda of the General Assembly, it would then make the most vigorous case possible. He then went on to stress the paramount importance of the Tunisian question. The Western Powers might be able to make mistakes in Indonesia and Libya, but we could not afford to do so in Tunisia. “Tunisia was the test case” which posed the important question of whether there was to be “orderly and scientific progress” in the achievement of self-government by dependent territories. The Tunisian case would have profound repercussions throughout Africa and Asia.
- This memorandum was drafted on Aug. 29.↩