Office of the Historian

357.AB/3–2254

Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, by the Secretary of State’s Special Assistant (O’Connor)1

[Washington,] March 22, 1954.

Subject:

  • American neutral observers in Kashmir

Ambassador Lodge telephoned the Secretary on March 20 in reference to the American neutral observers in Kashmir. Lodge says that Menon is genuinely and personally disturbed by the presence of these observers and said that it was Menon’s view that the observers would never be accepted by India anywhere and that their presence inevitably means trouble. Lodge added that a final decision was up to the Secretary General rather than us but that the SYG would be certainly influenced by what we had to say. Lodge felt that if we could concede this point, we would improve our position with Nehru, and it was his (Lodge’s) recommendation that we take the people out.

The Secretary promised that he would look into the matter right away. I would like to have your coordinated recommendation for the Secretary as soon as possible.

R. L. O’Connor
  1. Sent to UNA and NEA.↩