Office of the Historian

312. National Security Study Memorandum 1071

Washington, November 19, 1970.

TO

  • The Secretary of State
  • The Director of Central Intelligence

SUBJECT

  • Study of Entire UN Membership Question: U.S.-China Policy

The President has directed that a study be prepared of the membership question at the United Nations.

The study should incorporate alternative views and interpretations of the issues involved.

The study should include but need not be limited to the following:

1.
The implications of new approaches, e.g. “universality,” on the membership question for the United Nations itself and on our ability to pursue U.S. interests within the U.N. organization.
2.
In addition to dealing with Korea, Vietnam, Germany, and China, the study should treat with any other aspects of U.N. membership likely to be affected by the adoption of a new approach to the membership question.
3.
The effect on our bilateral relations with other countries which would be caused by adoption of a new approach to U.N. membership.
4.
The inter-action between U.S. policy toward Chinese membership in the United Nations and our bilateral relations with Peking.

Responsibility for this study is assigned to an ad hoc group chaired by the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs and including representatives from CIA and the NSC Staff. The study should be submitted to the Senior Review Group by January 15, 1971.

Henry A. Kissinger
  1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 365, Subject Files, NSSMs. Secret; Sensitive. Copies were sent to Laird, Moorer, Stans, and Kennedy. In a November 10 memorandum to Wright, Holdridge, Sonnenfeldt, and Kennedy, Lord noted that Kissinger wanted “both an inter-agency effort and an in-house NSC study” of this issue. (Ibid., RG 59, S/P Files: Lot 77 D 112, Policy Planning Staff, Director’s Files, Winston Lord Chron, November 1970) Nixon was initially unaware of NSSM 107. On November 22 he wrote a short note to Kissinger: “On a very confidential basis, I would like for you to have prepared in your staff—without any notice to people who might leak—a study of where we are to go with regard to the admission of Red China to the UN. It seems to me that the time is approaching sooner than we might think when we will not have the votes to block admission. The question we really need an answer to is how we can develop a position in which we can keep our commitments to Taiwan and yet will not be rolled by those who favor admission of Red China.” (Ibid.) Kissinger responded with a short note on November 27 explaining to Nixon that the studies were already underway. (Ibid.)
    Also on November 19 NSSM 106 called upon the Interdepartmental Group for East Asia and Pacific Affairs, together with representatives of the Treasury and Commerce Departments, to study long- and short-range U.S. policy goals toward China, U.S. policy toward Taiwan, tactics to be pursued to implement these policies, coordination of policies with other countries having particular interests in China, and the effects of U.S.-China policy on relations with the Soviet Union and on U.S. interests in Southeast Asia. (Ibid., Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 365, Subject Files, NSSMs)NSSM 106 is printed in Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, volume XVII, China, 1969–1972.    ↩