Office of the Historian

656.56D13/11–3054: Telegram

No. 301
The Secretary of State to the United States Mission at the United Nations

confidential
Washington, December 2, 1954—7:03 p.m.

Gadel 131. For Lodge from the Secretary. Re New Guinea (Delga 312).1

I think you should not have to be embarrassed by being in President’s chair when critical procedural decision on New Guinea item arises. If a vote must be taken on question whether two-thirds majority on New Guinea resolution is required in plenary, I am inclined to agree with you that question is in fact important and that we should vote accordingly. However, I should hope that plenary would not have to decide this question but that it should vote first and then if necessary decide afterwards whether ⅔ vote required. In view of 34–14 vote in committee it would seem that decision on “importance” would never have to be taken.2

Dulles
  1. Supra.↩

  2. The principal drafter of this telegram was Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs David McK. Key. On the preceding day, he had sent a memorandum to Dulles reporting on a meeting held in the office of Deputy Under Secretary of State Murphy. Part of that memorandum reads as follows:

    “In a meeting in Mr. Murphy’s office today, Mr. Robertson took the position that our policy of neutrality covers all aspects of the matter and requires us to abstain; whatever benefit we might obtain from this policy would be dissipated by our voting with the Dutch in support of the ⅔ rule and thus possibly helping to defeat the resolution.

    “I argued that our neutrality could not be considered to cover this important procedural question; this matter involves a dispute over sovereignty over an extensive territory and should therefore be considered ‘an important question’ under Article 18 of the Charter, particularly since in view of the growing influence of the anti-colonial and underdeveloped group the ⅔ rule in political matters of this sort would operate in our national interest as a barrier to extremist moves in the Assembly. Mr. Elbrick generally supported my position.” (FE files, lot 55 D 480, “Indonesia”)

    C. Burke Elbrick was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs.

    ↩