Office of the Historian

345. Telegram From the Department of State to the Mission to the United Nations1

Washington, March 19, 1965, 4:20 p.m.

2224. We have reviewed material pouched by Bender2 to Sisco, March 17.3 We have specific language changes which are contained septel./3/ Following are overall considerations which Dept wishes US representative to be guided by in current drafting sessions. Developments which bring drafting work outside following framework should be reported promptly to Dept for further consideration.

We are deeply concerned that nothing come out of Committee of 14’s work that will permit political conclusions to be drawn: (a) that juggling-of-figures exercise has in effect put Committee on record as writing-off past arrearages of Soviets, French, and others; and (b) that figure arrived at as contributions still required to restore solvency (in range of about $50 million in majority view) not be used to pressure US to match any voluntary contributions by Soviets and French on more or less comparable basis. In other words if political effect of Committee 14 report were to lead to notion that all that is needed to bring UN to solvency is about $50 million and that a $5 or $10 million contribution by Soviets and French respectively requires that US do similarly, it would turn pressure on us in a context where the Committee and subsequently Assembly will in effect have forgotten that cause of deficit and those really responsible for restoring solvency are countries which have not paid their duly levied assessments. FYI. As USUN recognizes we have always assumed that if we get to point where it proves desirable for a US voluntary contribution to be made we would in first instance consider waiving credits due US from surplus accounts and/or possibility of waiving reimbursement from UN for approximately $5 million owed us on peacekeeping accounts.

Rusk
  1. Source: Johnson Library, Administrative Histories, Department of State During the Presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson, Vol. 2, Part 5. Confidential; Priority. Drafted and approved by Sisco. Another copy is in the National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, UN 10.↩
  2. Albert Bender of USUN.↩
  3. Not found.↩