Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, United Nations and General International Matters, Volume II

125. Memorandum From the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (Wallner) to the Secretary of State¹

Washington, January 21, 1960.

SUBJECT

• Your Luncheon Conversation with Ambassador Lodge on January 22

We believe it would be desirable for you to discuss briefly with Ambassador Lodge the question of the date for convening the 15th General Assembly which would normally open this year on September 20. As evidenced by the informal discussions which have already taken place in New York as reported by Ambassador Lodge (attached),² there is considerable interest among a number of delegations regarding a possible postponement of the Assembly until some time after the elections. There is past precedent for this. The opening of the eleventh regular session of the General Assembly in 1956 was postponed to November 15. It reconvened on January 8 after a brief Christmas recess and completed its work early in March. The General Assembly decision to postpone the opening was based on the experience in 1952 and 1948 which indicated that little useful work was accomplished until after the election and only a few Foreign Ministers decided to attend the Assembly until the elections were over. We took, at that time, no public position favoring—postponement, but acquiesced in the majority view.

Norway has suggested the 15th General Assembly convene in December of 1960 to consider organizational questions and reconvene in January. Under such a schedule the General Assembly could elect its officers as well as the new members of the various Councils and take such minimal budgetary action as would be required to assure the continued financing of the organization until the budget for 1961 could be approved. The Assembly could reconvene shortly after January 20 and complete its work by the end of March.

There are a number of relevant questions of an internal political character in regard to the convening of the 15th General Assembly which you and Ambassador Lodge will undoubtedly wish to discuss. Strictly from the point of view of orderly procedure in the United Nations and the effective operation of the United States Delegation, as well as what may be the general feeling of other delegations, postponement of the Assembly until some time after the elections would have certain advantages.

Our judgment, therefore, based on the limited considerations cited above is that our United States Mission, while taking no initiative in stimulating postponement, should respond to inquiries by informing other delegations that although we are not asking for postponement, we would agree if the majority of members favor such action.³

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 320/1–2160. Confidential. Drafted by Sisco, initialed by Wallner, and sent through S/S.
2. Reference is presumably telegram 622 from USUN, January 19. (Ibid., 320/1–1960)
3. No record of Herter’s conversation with Lodge has been found; Hawley, however, noted in telegram 622, referenced above, that they discussed whether the opening of the 15th U.N. General Assembly should be postponed.