274. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (Cleveland) to Secretary of State Rusk 1
SUBJECT
- Analysis of General Assembly Vote on Chinese Representation October 21, 1963
The General Assembly rejected an Albanian resolution to expel the representatives of the GRC and to replace them with Chicom representatives by a vote of 41 in favor, 57 opposed and 12 abstentions. The vote in 1962 was 42 in favor, 56 opposed and 12 abstentions. Ethiopia, which normally supports the Chicoms though it recognizes neither the GRC nor the Chicoms, was absent. Kuwait, the only new UN member this year, abstained. As in 1962, the proposal to eject the GRC and seat the Chicoms was rejected by an absolute majority.
Of 110 countries that voted on this issue in 1962, only six (not counting Ethiopia) changed their position. Of these changes, four were in our favor and only two were to our disadvantage. Yemen, whose support for us in 1962 was entirely fortuitous, reverted to support of the Chicoms. Mauritania, alone of the UAM states, defected and abstained instead of voting against as it did in 1961 and 1962. On the positive side, Sierra Leone, which in 1961 and 1962 had voted in favor of comparable Soviet proposals, abstained. Typical abstainers like Cyprus and Togo changed to outright rejection of the Albanian proposal. And Malaya, which last year wandered off the reservation toward abstention, this time returned to the fold and voted against as in 1961.
The question of “Two Chinas” never arose. Wachuku was out of town and never even made a statement. Tunisia asked for a separate vote on the two operative paragraphs of the Albanian resolution, but dropped this request at the behest of Algeria.
- Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1960–63, UN 6 CHICOM. No classification marking. Drafted by Bertus H. Wabeke (IO/UNP) on October 21 and concurred in by Sisco. A notation indicates that the Secretary saw the memorandum.↩