205. Letter From the British Ambassador (Ormsby Gore) to the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (Cleveland)1
Dear Harlan,
I feel that I owe you an apology for not giving you a reply sooner to the proposals which you put to me on April 19 about Chinese representation in subsidiary organisations of the United Nations.2 The matter has, as you will know, been under discussion between the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State on two separate occasions and a revised formula was put to us on May 8.3 This read as follows:—
[Here follows the text of the formula identical to the text in Document 204.]
The above would be on the understanding that:—
- (a)
- some other delegation raised the question in the form of a Motion. I gather that you would not yourselves do so and as you know we ourselves could not undertake to table or sponsor such a resolution;
- (b)
- we would be free to make a statement in clarification of our position on the lines taken by our delegate at the General Assembly.
I am now authorised to say that our delegations in “competent” bodies will be instructed in these circumstances to vote in favour of a resolution such as that given above. You will, I am sure, understand that this does not reflect any change in our basic attitude to Chinese representation as a whole and that my Government will wish to reconsider the position after the next General Assembly.
Yours sincerely
- Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1960–63, 310.2/5–2162. Confidential. The salutation and complimentary close are handwritten.↩
- See Document 200.↩
- See Document 204.↩