Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XXXIII, Organization and Management of Foreign Policy; United Nations

348. Intelligence Information Cable¹

TDCS DB–315/01286–65

Washington, April 21, 1965.

COUNTRY

• United Nations, USSR

DATE OF INFO.

• 20 April 1965

SUBJECT

• 1. Activities Affecting the United Nations
• 2. U Thant’s Attitude on United Nations Peacekeeping Activities and on the Application of Article 19

PLACE & DATE ACQ.

• 20 April 1965

REF

• IN 48716

[less than 1 line of source text not declassified]

[3–1/2 lines of source text not declassified]

1. In private U Thant is very critical of United States policy on Article 19 and the peacekeeping questions. He believes the United States has assumed much too rigid a posture and thus has lost its freedom of maneuver. He believes there have been too many public statements by too many United States spokesmen and that American policy is unclear and apparently confused.

2. U Thant does not believe the Soviets will contribute enough to moot application of Article 19 at the next United Nations General Assembly. He states the Soviets definitely do not want Article 19 to stand. He believes Article 19 is almost dead as far as peacekeeping is concerned and considers that in the future all efforts must be directed toward voluntary contributions from the Soviets. U Thant believes there is some possibility of success for voluntary Soviet contributions for past peacekeeping operations, but little or no chance of contributions for future peacekeeping operations unless there is a settlement in Vietnam.

3. U Thant several times has asked Soviet Ambassador Fedorenko about the amount of the “substantial contribution” to the voluntary fund which the Soviets promised during the 19th General Assembly. Fedorenko has been unwilling to make any definite statement and U Thant believes Fedorenko himself does not know. Tewfik Bouatoura of Algeria has volunteered to U Thant the statement that the Soviets will contribute up to twenty million dollars.

4. U Thant and his staff consider the “opting out” concept for peacekeeping satisfactory, certainly better than the veto. U Thant believes that in a crisis such as Cyprus, countries will pay. U Thant is against long term peacekeeping operations as in the Gaza Strip.

5. Field Dissem: None.

1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, United Nations, Article 19, Vol. 2. Secret; No Foreign Dissem; Controlled Dissem; No Dissem Abroad; Background Use Only. Prepared in the Central Intelligence Agency.