70. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the Secretary of State and the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (Wilcox), Department of State, Washington, May 13, 1957, 12:30 p.m.1
SUBJECT
- United Nations Review Conference
Mr. Wilcox handed the Secretary the annexed memorandum,2 and outlined in more detail the reasons IO tended to be negative toward a charter review conference at this time. Mr. Wilcox said that he had discussed this also with Jim Barco (who is in full agreement with Ambassador Lodge) and that Barco agreed with our thinking. Our conclusion was that the Committee of the Whole should be kept in being, but should be instructed to report again to the 13th General Assembly.
The Secretary indicated that the only two real goals of charter review now would be some system of weighted voting, and the elimination of the veto power (insofar as the peaceful settlement of disputes is concerned) in the Security Council. Now that the new members had come into the United Nations, their entrance was no longer a selling point; and their presence would make any other change more difficult to achieve.
The Secretary also commented that some NGO (as, for example, the US Committee for the UN) would be the proper organization to build up a ground swell for a change such as weighted voting.
The Secretary concluded by suggesting that Mr. Wilcox call in the British and French and inquire of them their attitude toward any movement, through charter review, of achieving such goals as a weighted voting system, with the consequent corollary of a larger role for the General Assembly. The Secretary felt we should maintain a neutral attitude toward the whole matter until we had the British and French views.
The Secretary also commented that there were a number of procedural problems and similar problems which might usefully be considered at any conference such as a charter review conference, but which could be solved without amending the Charter. He felt that this should be borne in mind in any consideration of the objectives to be sought from and the achievements which could be gained by a charter review conference.