Office of the Historian

145. Notes of a Telephone Conversation, Department of State, Washington, July 16, 1958, 10:30 a.m.1

Washington, July 16, 1958, 10:30 a.m.

Mr. Secretary:

Ambassador Lodge telephoned the following message:2

“I have just talked with the Secretary General about a session of the General Assembly. He expressed these opinions:

1.
Of course the United States should not appear opposed to the idea of a General Assembly.
2.
It would be bad to have an emergency session immediately after the Security Council. The Secretary General wants time to try to work things out with the Lebanese and with the UN Observers group. He wants at least two weeks.
3.
If a General Assembly is held it should be a special session two or three weeks from now, the date to be set in the light of developments.
4.
Lodge recommends that he be authorized to state that the U.S. intends to ask for a session of the General Assembly in the light of events.”3

  1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Telephone Conversations. The message was taken and the notes prepared by Amelia Kullman of the Secretary’s office.↩
  2. Dulles had talked by telephone with Lodge 45 minutes earlier and discussed the course to pursue in the United Nations. Lodge stated that he anticipated the Soviet Union would veto the resolution calling upon the United Nations to undertake the defense of Lebanon which he had introduced in the Security Council the day before. Lodge indicated that he had an appointment to see Hammarskjöld at 10 a.m. and would discuss with him the possibility of a subsequent emergency session of the General Assembly to consider the crisis. (Ibid.; included in the microfiche supplement)↩
  3. Lodge submitted a full report of his conversation with Hammarskjöld in telegram 70 from USUN, July 16. (Department of State, Central Files, 330/7–1658; included in the microfiche supplement)↩