Office of the Historian

71. Telegram From the Mission at the United Nations to the Department of State1

New York, May 29, 1957—7 p.m.

998. Re re-election of SYG. SYG in recent conversations has alluded several times to possibility he may no longer be SYG next year. Most recent occasion was during report of his visit to Jerusalem. Ben Gurion had referred to SYG’s personal role in helping establish peaceful situation in ME and hoped he could do something further next year. SYG told us that he had commented that perhaps he might not be available.

SYG’s references have been nothing more than asides. We have no real impression from him whether he seriously thinks of not being candidate for reelection or whether he is indirectly looking for expression of support. We assume latter probably the case. This impression is strengthened by fact SYG is obviously mending his fences with UK, France and Israel.

In view of fact that question is clearly on his mind, suggest I be authorized to tell him soonest in appropriate fashion that we would like to see him continue for another term.2

Lodge
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 315/5–2957. Limited Official Use.↩

  2. Telegram 935 to USUN, June 10, authorized Lodge to initiate conversations with the British, French, and Chinese Delegations in order to build Security Council support for a recommendation to the Twelfth General Assembly that Secretary-General Hammarskjöld be appointed for another term at the expiration of his current service in April 1958. If such consultations proved fruitful, Hammarskjöld would be informed and the Department and the Mission would work out a plan for approaching the Soviet Union and the other members of the Security Council. The telegram also reported that the Department was unaware of any other acceptable candidate and viewed routine re-election of Hammarskjöld as the best means of avoiding a repetition of the 1950 controversy over Trygve Lie. “In any case his conduct Secretariat and UN affairs merits his early reappointment as mark confidence.” (Ibid., 315/6–1057)

    Telegram 1055 from New York, June 11, reads: “Re SYG’s reappointment—Deptel 935. In view authorization given in Sisco/Menshaw telecon, we will get SYG’s assent before discussing question formally with UK, France and China.” (Ibid., 315/6–1157)

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