Office of the Historian

67. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (Wilcox) to the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Murphy)1

Washington, February 28, 1957.

SUBJECT

  • Explanation of Vote on Soviet Item in UN

The Special Political Committee of the General Assembly on February 27, 1957 rejected, by a vote of 53 to 8 (Soviet bloc), with 11 abstentions, a Soviet draft resolution condemning the “subversive activities” of the United States and calling upon it to cease such activities and “intervention” in Eastern Europe. (This vote compares favorably with past votes in the General Assembly on comparable Soviet complaints.) Eight states were absent.

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Those abstaining were Finland, Yugoslavia and nine Afro-Asians (Afghanistan, Burma, Ceylon, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen). The abstentions of Finland and Afghanistan are understandable on geographic grounds. While Egypt and Syria have reflected pro-Soviet leanings in recent months, they may have considered it preferable to abstain rather than support the Soviet complaint. Moreover, they, as well as Saudi Arabia and Yemen, were undoubtedly looking toward future Soviet support on the Middle East. The remaining Afro-Asians are usually found among the so-called neutralists when “cold war” matters are under consideration in the UN.

Of the eight absent states, two (Hungary and South Africa) have withdrawn from participation in the work of the General Assembly; five are Afro-Asians only recently admitted to membership, two (Jordan and Libya) in December 1955 and three (Morocco, the Sudan and Tunisia) on November 12, 1956. This was the first occasion (setting aside the Hungarian question where broader considerations were involved), that these five were faced with a sharp US-Soviet issue, and they may have refrained from voting because of: (1) ignorance of the issues involved; (2) desire for Soviet support on future Middle East resolutions; or (3) because they may not want to become involved in the “cold war”. The Austrian Delegation explained to USGAdel that Vienna had instructed the delegation to abstain, at the same time giving it discretion to be absent on a roll-call vote.

In the plenary meeting this morning the Soviet Delegation did not reintroduce its draft resolution, so there was no further vote. Only the USSR and Czechoslovakia spoke in favor of the Soviet position. They were answered by the United States and Brazil. There were no other speakers.

  1. Source: Department of State, IO Files: Lot 60 D 113, United Nations General File, 1957.↩