Office of the Historian

211. Message From Secretary of State Rusk to the President’s Special Counsel (Jacobson)1

Washington, undated.
1.
I will be calling President later in the day regarding Chinese representation issue. Situation is as follows.
2.
Italians submitting this morning a draft resolution providing for the establishment of a Study Committee. This text does not prejudge the ultimate solution and we will vote for it. Resolution will be co-sponsored by Belgium, Chile, Brazil, Bolivia, Trinidad-Tobago, and possibly several others.2
3.
At meeting late last night, Martin of Canada pressed Goldberg to include in Study Committee resolution explicit language carrying with it slight “two-China” connotation. Both Goldberg and I fully agreed that we should turn down this language since it would only cause pain not only to the GRC but to our closest Asian allies.
4.
President will have seen Taipei’s 14833 in which Acting Foreign Minister informed McConaughy that, if Italian resolution were to pass, GRC will on same day announce its withdrawal from UN. This line completely inconsistent with what GRC Foreign Minister Wei told me last Wednesday that GRC prepared, though publicly opposing, “to cooperate” with Study Committee which did not prejudge ultimate substantive solution. I can only assume that this latest GRC view represents last minute reaction by Gimo. Since Assembly will debate matter for at least another ten days before any propositions are voted upon, we will have time to work on Taipei to try to convince them to stay in the UN even if the Study Committee proposal should be adopted, which is probable but not certain at this point. In the meantime Goldberg is seeing Wei this morning to inform him we announcing publicly our support for the Study Committee, reminding him of statement Foreign Minister made to me last week of GRC willingness to cooperate, and telling GRC to sit tight.
5.
I sent to you late Sunday evening4 the text of speech Goldberg made at GA this morning. Both Goldberg and I have cut it back severely to take into account even more fully GRC’s sensitivities and to try to avoid any public statement which would give major offense to them.
  1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Agency File, United Nations, Vol. 5. Confidential. Drafted by Sisco on November 21 and concurred in by Bundy. A handwritten note to Rostow on the source text states that the Secretary had made these points to the President by telephone at about 11:15 a.m.↩
  2. The draft resolution was submitted on November 21. (U.N. Document A/L.500)↩
  3. Document 210.↩
  4. November 20.↩