Office of the Historian

711C.02/11–453: Telegram

The United States Representative at the United Nations (Lodge) to the Department of State

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New York, November 4, 1953—3 p.m.

Delga 221. Re Puerto Rico. Mrs. Bolton, Ambassador Daniels and advisers strongly recommend following telegram be sent urgently Tegucigalpa:

Puerto Rican Government representatives and US delegate seriously concerned at apparently uninformed and unfriendly statements made by Honduran representative at Fourth Committee GA now considering new Commonwealth status of Puerto Rico as “Estado Libre Asociado”. Honduran delegation apparently lacks instructions. Please suggest immediately to Foreign Minister or President desirability sending telegraphic instructions Honduran delegation to consult Puerto Ricans and if possible support Government Puerto Rico on this important issue.1

Lodge

  1. The view that Puerto Rico had not reached a full measure of self-government and that therefore the United States was not entitled to cease transmission of information was expressed in the Fourth Committee on Nov. 4, by India, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Burma, Honduras, Indonesia, and Poland.

    India announced the intention of proposing, as an amendment to the 7-power (Latin American) draft (L. 300) endorsing the U.S. decision, that a small committee be established to study further the Puerto Rican question and report to the next General Assembly.

    In the debate, the Indian Delegate contended that Puerto Rico was economically and commercially dependent upon the United States. Yugoslavia warned against setting “a dangerous precedent” which might “encourage other attempts at the progressive destruction of the system of international controls” over non-self-governing territories. (New York telegram Delga 226, Nov. 4, 1953, 11:39 p.m., not printed, file 310.5/11–453 (daily unclassified summary))

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