106. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the Secretary of State and the Representative at the United Nations (Lodge), April 15, 19551
SUBJECT
- Non-Member Participation Plan—Italy
Secretary Dulles telephoned this morning, April 15th, to caution me concerning the Non-Member Participation Plan as it affects Italy. He said he did not think the Italians would accept such a plan but would insist on full membership.
I said that it was not my intention to ask the Italians about the Non-Membership Plan, but to go ahead and push it at the General Assembly in the fall in the knowledge that the Japanese would accept it and that it would be available to all other nations to accept which wanted to.
I agreed with the Secretary that we should not assume that the Italians would accept it, but that it was certainly true that they could accept it without in any way prejudicing their chance for full membership.
He said it was important always to make that clear because the Italians felt that they had an understanding with the Russians under the terms of which they felt the Russians were obligated to support their membership.
I said I did not intend to mention this subject in my testimony before the Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, but that I did intend to go ahead with the Non-Membership Participation scheme in the fall, to which he agreed.
- Source: Department of State, UNP Files: Lot 59 D 237, Membership. Secret. Drafted by Lodge.↩