Office of the Historian

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

New York, October 26, 1959—11 a.m.

Delga 259. For Herter and Wilcox from Lodge. Re: Presidency 15th GA.

Now that Tibet question is completed2 with Irish having played major role with skill and distinction, I believe time has come for me to talk to Aiken (Ireland) about possibility Boland running for Presidency 15th GA.

My instructions on this subject (Deptel 27, Jul 143) do not seem to me to meet situation which now faces US.

1.
We cannot wait (as Deptel 27 suggests) for “Western Europe to reach early agreement on acceptable non-Communist candidate”. As we reported (ourtel 194, Aug 144), UK favors Boland’s candidacy and since then has been privately encouraging him. French have indicated they unwilling commit themselves this far in advance. Western Europeans, I think, are generally favorable to Boland but we cannot expect this favorable sentiment to crystalize until Boland becomes active candidate and he will not do this until he gets green light from US.
2.
We must therefore be more explicit with Aiken and Boland than merely telling them that “we would give full weight to Western European choice and would expect be able support it when taking our own position”.

Request new instructions which will permit me tell Aiken fol:

1.
That we are anxious support Boland’s candidacy if he decides run. Only thing that worries us is our disagreement with Ireland over ChiRep issue but we are confident Boland would not use his position to influence 15th GA’s action this question and I should talk to him about it so that we may be satisfied on that point.
2.
That we assume Aiken understands danger to Boland’s candidacy posed by Nosek’s (Czechoslovakia) prior entry into field and vital necessity that Boland openly enter race immediately or withdraw his name conclusively.

I can well understand that Dept might feel Boland not best possible Western European for Presidency. But as practical matter Boland has first refusal. No other Western European will come out openly for Presidency so long as he is in field. I believe Boland is determined to [Page 191] run and has Aiken’s full support. In case where choice is limited to Ireland or Czechoslovakia I do not think we should hesitate. I do not think Boland would use his position as GA Pres against US. There is no doubt that Nosek would.

I cannot emphasize too strongly my conviction that we must take clear stand now on this issue. We cannot afford wait until August to make up our minds. We must not get ourselves into same kind of trouble on this question as we are in with SC elections. There are too many parallels between Poland’s candidacy for SC and Nosek’s candidacy for 15th GA Presidency to allow ourselves think decision can be put off, however desirable that course of action might otherwise be.

Czech item re geographic distribution GA Presidency still in offing, and will need forceful defeat. Snowballing movement for Boland for 1960 GA Pres should help in defeating Czech initiative and is additional reason for getting Boland in race now.

Lodge
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 320/10–2659. Confidential. Received at 12:42 p.m.↩
  2. The General Assembly adopted Resolution 1353 (XIV) on the question of Tibet on October 21. For text, see U.N. doc. A/4354.↩
  3. Document 81.↩
  4. See footnote 4, ibid.↩