Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Africa and South Asia, Volume XI, Part 1

772.00/4–252: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the United States Mission at the United Nations¹

confidential priority

Washington, April 4, 1952—12:31 p.m.

370. Re: Tunisia.

1. Dept has weighed carefully alternative courses of action open to you on question of how US shld vote on inscription of Tunisian item on SC agenda, urtel 663, Apr 2,² and Secy concluded that you shld abstain on question of placing Tunisian item an agenda. This decision you shld communicate to all friendly SC Dels. Statement to be made by you before voting contained in next fol tel.³

2. If item is placed on agenda we feel you shld take fol position:

a) Oppose seating of entire Arab-Asian group of complainants at SC table on ground that their interests cannot be considered as “specially affected” as required by Art 31 of Charter. Rule 37 gives discretion to SC whether to invite members bringing matter before SC. SC must apply rule of reason in exercising this discretion and shld not allow elected SC membership of 11 to be submerged by equal or even larger number of nonmembers. We feel that compromise arrangement seating one member as spokesman of Arab co-sponsors and perhaps another as spokesman of Asian co-sponsors a reasonable one. We suggest you take same position if this issue is raised prior to vote on insertion of item on agenda.

b) If proposal is made to hear former ministers of Tunisian Bey presently in Cairo or any spokesman of Neo-Destour party, you shld support and if necessary propose postponement on ground that you will require further info concerning these individuals and generally obtain instructions on this impt decision. We assume that Fr will not propose in today’s mtg that reps of Bey shld be heard. If proposal to invite any Tunisian is made prior to inclusion of this item in agenda, we suggest you take position that in accordance with established practice such proposal shld be voted upon only if and after matter is included in agenda. If, nevertheless, the vote is taken on this issue prior to insertion you shld abstain.

3. If question is raised in private conversations or in Council re propriety of Pak Rep presiding over mtgs dealing with Tunisian matter, you can point out that US wld not desire express any view on this issue in this case, and under Rule 20 wld leave decision to Pres of Council himself.

4. We feel that US shld not play a leading role in the consideration of this case.⁴

Acheson

1. This telegram was drafted by Stein and Wainhouse (UNP) and cleared with the offices of Allen (EUR), Runyon (L/UNA) by phone, Hickerson (UNA), and NEA. It was repeated to Paris and Tunis.
2. Ante, p. 709.
3. Telegram 371, infra.
4. Barbara Salt of the British Embassy came to the Department of State on the morning of Apr. 4 to advise the Department the United Kingdom had instructed Sir Gladwyn Jebb to vote against inscription of the Tunisian item rather than abstain. She urged strongly that the United States instruct its representative to vote the same way, suggesting the negative vote could be justified on grounds that inscription would prejudice the real objective of a solution through negotiations. An officer of the Department informed her that it was unlikely that the U.S. decision to abstain would be changed at such a late date and gave her the substance of telegram 370 and the message in telegram 371, infra. (Memorandum of conversation of Apr. 4; 651.72/4–452)