ODA files, lot 62 D 225, “Trusteeship Council”
Memorandum by the Deputy Director of the Office of Dependent Area Affairs (Robbins) to a Special Assistant in the Bureau of United Nations Affairs (Fierst)
- Subject:
- French Objection to Publicity given United States Delegation’s Statements in Trusteeship Council
Attached is a copy of the memorandum of the conversation between Mr. Hure of the French Delegation to the Trusteeship Council and Mr. McKay1 of the United States Delegation on the above subject. This is the conversation summarized in the USUN unclassified summary of today’s date, which we discussed at this morning’s staff meeting.
Mr. Sears has made four statements in the Council on trust territories in West Africa and they have been issued as USUN Press Releases as follows: British Cameroons #1871; French Cameroons #1872; British Togoland #1873; and French Togoland #1875. Certain phrases in these statements have been somewhat more dramatic than statements of United States Representatives in the Council in the past and as you know have aroused some concern on the part of the Belgians and French. Both the Belgian and French Ambassadors have called on Assistant Secretary Key to convey this concern. For your [Page 1369] background information, I am also enclosing copies of memoranda of their conversations with Mr. Key.2
Mr. Strong of this office has been in contact with Mr. Simpson of the Middle East and Africa Press Section of USIA, who has transmitted informally to UND copies of the Wireless Bulletin stories that have been sent out to the USIA posts in the Middle East and Africa. In our opinion, these stories have given a balanced presentation of Mr. Sears’ statements. In addition, we understand that the full text of Mr. Sears’ statements have been sent to USIA officers in Lagos and Accra.
Mr. Strong has called Mr. Simpson’s attention to the sensitivities of the Belgians and French; however, it might be well if you were to pass on to USIA this additional French reaction as it relates specifically to the publicizing of Mr. Sears’ statements by the Information Officers at Lagos and Accra. Perhaps USIA will wish to make the French objections known to these officers. I should add, however, that their activities in publicizing the statements of the United States Representative in the Trusteeship Council seem to us entirely normal and proper.