Office of the Historian

157. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State (Herter) to Secretary of State Dulles0

October 9, 1958.

SUBJECT

  • Draft Resolution on Economic Development Proposed for Submission to the General Assembly

In follow-up of the economic section of your address to the General Assembly,1 the United States Delegation (Lodge, Hickenlooper, Mansfield and Phillips) have asked for authority to introduce a resolution on economic development, which closely follows the text of your address, with a view to highlighting what the United States is already doing or prepared to do in aid of the economic development of the underdeveloped countries and to counteract spurious USSR and other proposals such as the calling of a world economic conference, the establishment of a new international trade organization, the creation of SUNFED, etc. The text of such a resolution was approved by W/MSC, ICA, E, H, S/P, IO and the Departments of Commerce, Agriculture, Health Education and Welfare, Labor and the Federal Reserve Board. In the absence of Mr. Anderson, it met with opposition in the Treasury and the text of the resolution, therefore, was transmitted to Mr. Dillon and Mr. Anderson in New Delhi. In reply, they expressed misgivings over the proposed resolution but recognized that “from this distance we have no means of weighing tactical problems faced by the United States in the General Assembly” and suggesting that the matter be brought to your attention for your determination.2

I have discussed the issue with Messrs. Wilcox, Phillips, Beale and Hanes and we agreed on several modifications in the original draft resolution designed to meet, as far as possible, the objections from New Delhi. The text of the amended draft resolution is attached.3

I am convinced that there are indeed over-riding tactical reasons which call for the introduction of such a resolution before the end of this week. I, therefore, recommend that you authorize the United [Page 308] States Delegation to the General Assembly to introduce the resolution as amended.4

  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 340/10–958. Official Use Only. Initialed by Herter, who also noted on the source text on October 10 that Dulles had approved it.↩
  2. For text of Dulles’ September 18 statement, see American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1958, pp. 122–130.↩
  3. Dillon and Anderson responded in telegrams 814 and 844 from New Delhi, October 7 and 8, respectively. (Department of State, Central Files, 320/10–758 and 320/ 10–858)↩
  4. A memorandum of this conversation is ibid., 320/10–958. The draft resolution was not attached to the source text.↩
  5. The United States and six other countries submitted the draft resolution to the Second Committee November 3; for text, see U.N. doc. A/C.2/L.378. After revision in the Committee, the draft was sent to the General Assembly, which adopted it without change December 12. (U.N. General Assembly Resolution 1316 (XIII); for text, see U.N. doc. A/4090)↩