36. Letter From the Assistant Secretary of State for International
Organization Affairs (Wilcox) to the Representative at the United Nations
(Lodge)1
Washington, October 26,
1956.
Dear Cabot: I have been hoping to talk with you
regarding our position on the UN
contributions scale. Certainly we should discuss this matter before the
briefing of the Delegation to the 11th General Assembly.
Meanwhile, I am asking several people here in the Department to meet with
me on Tuesday, October 30, for an exchange of views based on the
attached paper. You may wish to discuss it in a preliminary way with Mr.
Fobes of the Bureau who will
be in New York several days next week, and with Mr. Bender of your staff.
Sincerely yours,
[Page 129]
[Attachment]
2
UNITED NATIONS CONTRIBUTION SCALE
Problem:
The present position of the United States concerning the United
Nations contributions scale is that (1) the Report of the
Contributions Committee should not be
adopted, but rather that (2) the detailed discussion of changes in
the scale because of new members should be postponed until the 12th
General Assembly and that (3) changes in the present scale should be
voted only at the 13th General Assembly. It is proposed that the
United States ask at the 11th General Assembly that the issue be
kept open and flexible, and that we only intimate that possibly we
may want a reduction in our percentage. The effect of such
postponements, of course, is to throw contributions of new members
into “miscellaneous income” which will serve to reduce everyone’s
contribution, including that of the United States.
This “delaying” position coupled with uncertainty as to our motives
and aims is highly unsatisfactory. Even very friendly countries say
that we must make our intentions known, that they cannot agree to
postpone decision on an issue where they, in effect, may be turning
down certain immediate savings for themselves.
Alternatives:
- 1.
- That the U.S. say nothing about the Contributions
Committee report in which case its approval would be
assured.
- 2.
- That the U.S. indicate it is not going to seek an ultimate
reduction in its one-third assessment but that the
recommendation of the Contributions Committee be deferred
until the present scale has run its originally anticipated 3
years (through 1958).
- 3.
- That the U.S. will seek a reduction to around 31 per cent
and press for immediate action in this respect.
- 4.
- That the U.S. will seek at the 12th General Assembly a
decision in favor of a reduction in the U.S. percentage. The
Contributions Committee would then be instructed to
recommend to the 13th General Assembly a new scale
implementing this decision. Meanwhile receipts as a result
of new memberships could be collected outside the 100 per
cent scale and treated as miscellaneous income with all
members sharing in proportion to their percentage of the
present scale.
[Page 130]
Factors:
The factors to be explored in arriving at a U.S. position would
include U.S. relations with other UN
members, Congressional and public opinion and support of the UN system, U.S. percentage of
contributions to voluntary programs and the specialized agencies and
timing, with particular regard to the possibility of approval of
Japanese membership and the unlikelihood that there will be any
future large scale membership changes which would make a U.S.
reduction as “painless” as the present time.
