Office of the Historian

310.5/11–653: Telegram

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

New York, November 6, 1953—12:20 a.m.

231. [Here follows reporting on items other than Fourth Committee.]

Committee 4—Puerto Rico—Following a series of votes, the Committee Nov. 5 endorsed 22–18–19 the seven-power resolution (L. 300) approving cessation of transmission by the US of information on Puerto Rico. It also recommended, 32–69 (US, Colombia, Panama, Paraguay)–8 (Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Peru), an amendment stating the GA’s competence to decide whether a NSGT has or has not attained a full measure of self-government.

By a vote of 13–34–12, the Committee rejected a section of the five-power amendment (L. 302) sponsored by Burma, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, and Mexico, expressing GA confidence the US would find it possible to continue transmitting information on Puerto Rico. It also defeated, 5–31–13, another part of this amendment which would have deleted from the resolution clauses by which the assembly would 1) note favorably the NSGT Committee’s conclusions with regard to Puerto Rico, 2) recognize the Puerto Rican people had been vested with attributes of political sovereignty which identified their status as an autonomous political entity, and 3) consider that charter chapter XI no longer applied to Puerto Rico.

Also rejected, 18–34–7, was an Indian amendment calling for establishment of a six-member committee to study the question further and to report to the next GA.

Before the voting, Iran, Peru, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, and Israel expressed strong support for the US position.

Votes on the individual paras of the resolution ranged from 48–1–6 to 24–17–17. Individual votes on the resolution as a whole follow:

  • In favor: Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Iran, Israel, Liberia, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, and Uruguay.
  • Against: Australia, Belgium, Burma, Byelorussia, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, The Ukraine, South Africa, the USSR, Yugoslavia.
  • Abstaining: Afghanistan, Argentina, Denmark, Egypt, El Salvador, France, Greece, Iceland, Lebanon, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Syria, the UK, the US, Venezuela.

Yemen was absent.

[Here follows reportage on other items.]