ODA files, lot 62 D 225, “us
Representative in Trusteeship Council”
Memorandum by the Deputy Director of the Office of
Dependent Area Affairs (Robbins) to the Assistant Secretary of State for United Nations
Affairs (Key)
confidential
[Washington,] February 12, 1954.
- Subject:
- Mr. Sears’ Statement on
French Cameroons in the Trusteeship Council
I am enclosing a copy of the verbatim text of the statement on French
Cameroons made by Mr. Sears in
the Trusteeship Council on February 10. As you will recall, AF expressed some concern about this
statement as reported in the New York Times of
February 11. Mr. Wainhouse informs me that Mr. van Laethem of the French
Embassy, on the instructions of his Ambassador, raised informally and in
a friendly way some question about Mr. Sears’ statement. It may be that the French Embassy also
was relying upon the report in the New York
Times. As you will see from the verbatim text, Mr. Sears’ statement was well balanced,
a fact that was not reflected in the Times story.
I believe that you will agree that Mr. Sears’ statement accords with recent general statements
of policy by the Secretary and Assistant Secretary Byroade and does not give any
cause for concern.
You may be interested to know that USIA
is cabling full texts of Mr. Sears’ statements in the Trusteeship Council to our
Public Affairs Officers in Accra and Lagos. Mr. Sears’ earlier statement on British
Cameroons was broadcast by the Lagos Radio Station and the Station
expressed an interest in broadcasting the texts of subsequent statements
by Mr. Sears. Moreover, the
Middle East News desk of USIA
considered Mr. Sears’
statement on French Cameroons of such interest that a full story quoting
liberally from it was sent by Wireless Bulletin to all thirteen posts
receiving the Bulletin in the Middle East.
[Enclosure]
Verbatim Text of Mr. Sears’ Statement on French
Cameroons
Mr. Sears (United States of
America): In discussing the Territory of the French Cameroons, the
main point my delegation would like to emphasize—and we think it is
the overriding issue—is the rapid political and economic progress
which is taking place throughout the highly populated areas of West
Africa. It has become a classic example of what can be done where
there is a will to co-operate between peoples of greatly differing
languages and backgrounds, and we are certain that it will
contribute enormously to the final settlement of the colonial
issue.
[Page 1358]
But the nature of this progress is such that we cannot blind
ourselves to the complications which could arise if self-government
was being achieved by some peoples of West Africa while not yet
being fully attained by others. We believe that if such a situation
is allowed to drift and it becomes unduly prolonged, it will create
many difficulties and will ultimately provide fertile territory for
alien-controlled agitators, disguised as local patriots, to
introduce Communist activity which, as we all know, officially aims
to take over every nationalist movement it can reach.
To put it another way, it is our judgment that the expected early
emergence of nationhood for the Gold Coast and Nigeria, including
final self-determination for the British Trust Territories of
Togoland and the Cameroons, will have a very far reaching effect
upon adjoining territories. This means that as time goes on, French
judgment with respect to the rate of progress best suited to the
welfare of their part of the Cameroons is destined to become of
greater and greater importance not only in the Trust Territory but
throughout Africa. It is our opinion that it will have a profound
effect upon the ability of colonial administrators everywhere to
harness the process of orderly evolution to the constantly
accelerating forces of African nationalism.
However, after listening to the discussion of the last few days, we
are satisfied that the efficient, well-informed administrators in
the French Cameroons are fully aware of the implications of
forthcoming developments in neighbouring territories. We are
confident that they are prepared to make sound decisions which will
recognize the political realities of the times and that they will
not permit the progress of the people in their trust territories to
differ importantly from progress in adjoining areas.
In conclusion, we wish to congratulate the French administrators for
the many fine contributions which they are making to the advancement
of the people of the Cameroons.
We are happy to believe that the Cameroons, in their turn, will
become self-governing at an early date, and that they too will use
their self-governing powers to advance the cause of freedom in this
important part of the world.
