Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–14, Part 1, Documents on the United Nations, 1973–1976

54. Telegram 65086 From the Department of State to All Diplomatic Posts, April 7, 1973, 1711Z.¹ ²

April 7, 1973, 1711Z

TELEGRAM
Department of State
065086

P 071711 Z APR 73

FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO ALL DIPLOMATIC POSTS PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY BATHURST BY POUCH
AMEMBASSY SUVA BY POUCH
XMT AMEMBASSY TAIPEI
AMEMBASSY BATHURST
AMEMBASSY SUVA

STATE 065086

E. O. 11652: GDS
TAGS: WHO, KS, KN

SUBJECT: 26 TH WHA: NORTH KOREAN APPLICATION FOR WHO MEMBERSHIP
REF: STATE 137863 (JULY 27, 1972)

1. THIS MESSAGE IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY; CERTAIN ADDRESSEES WILL BE INSTRUCTED SHORTLY TO MAKE APPROACHES TO HOST GOVERNMENT BASED ON FOLLOWING INFORMATION.

2. NORTH KOREAN MEMBERSHIP IN WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) IS ON AGENDA OF 26TH WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY (WHA) WHICH OPENS IN GENEVA MAY 7. USG HAS AGREED TO SUPPORT REPUBLIC OF KOREA EFFORT PERSUADE WHA TO POSTPONE CONSIDERATION OF NORTH KOREA’ S APPLICATION UNTIL 27 TH WHA IN 1974. WE HAVE TOLD SOUTH KOREANS WE EXPECT THEM TO TAKE LEAD BUT WILL MAKE APPROACHES IN CAPITALS WHERE THIS PROMISES TO BE EFFECTIVE, AND ALSO AT WHA.

3. US REASONS FOR SUPPORTING POSTPONEMENT OF NORTH KOREAN APPLICATION ARE:

A. WE BELIEVE THAT AIRING AT THIS TIME IN WHA OF SO CONTENTIOUS AN ISSUE AS NORTH KOREAN MEMBERSHIP IN UN FAMILY COULD JEOPARDIZE CHANCES FOR PROGRESS IN NORTH-SOUTH TALKS AND UNDERMINE ROK CONFIDENCE. AT ROK INITIATIVE, ROK AND NORTH KOREA CONSULTED TOGETHER, ISSUED JOINT COMMUNIQUE IN JULY 1972, AND HAVE SINCE CARRIED ON TALKS WHICH HAVE POTENTIAL FOR DIRECT AND IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION TO GREATER PEACE AND STABILITY IN NORTHEAST ASIA. NORTH-SOUTH TALKS, HOWEVER, ARE STILL IN DELICATE INITIAL STAGES AND FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCES REMAIN. ONE SUCH DIFFERENCE IS UN ROLE IN KOREA (USEFUL BACKGROUND CONTAINED REFTEL). BEST MEANS TO FACILITATE TALKS, IN OUR JUDGMENT, IS TO LET TWO PARTIES WORK OUT THEIR PROBLEMS TOGETHER WITHOUT ENCUMBRANCE OF POSSIBLY ACRIMONIOUS DEBATE IN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS.

B. QUIET NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN SOUTH AND NORTH KOREA ARE LOGICALLY ANALOGOUS TO APPROACH WHICH ACHIEVED SIGNIFICANT RESULTS IN FRG/GDR NEGOTIATIONS. (FYI. AS POSTS AWARE, IN NOVEMBER 1972 FRG AND GDR CONCLUDED INNER-GERMAN AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING FUTURE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THEM; AS RESULT THAT AGREEMENT AND QUADRIPARTITE DECLARATION BY US, UK, USSR AND FRANCE, SHORTLY THEREAFTER IN WHICH, INTER ALIA, FOUR POWERS AGREED SUPPORT FRG AND GDR APPLICATIONS FOR UN MEMBERSHIP WHEN SUBMITTED, TWO GERMAN STATES SCHEDULED ENTER UN THIS YEAR. ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THESE NEGOTIATIONS WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE DIFFICULT HAD THEY BEEN ACCOMPANIED BY DEBATE IN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS. END FYI.) MEMBERS OF WHO RECOGNIZED THIS BY POSTPONING, AT THREE SUCCESSIVE WHA’ S, CONSIDERATION OF GDR MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION SO THAT FRG-GDR TALKS COULD REACH FRUITION WITHOUT PUBLIC AIRING OF EXISTING DIFFERENCES. GDR WILL PRESUMABLY RECEIVE NECESSARY MAJORITY TO ENTER WHO AT 26TH WHA IN MAY.

C. QUESTION OF NORTH KOREAN PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS IS POLITICAL ISSUE WHICH SHOULD BE CONSIDERED BY MAJOR UN POLITICAL FORUM RATHER THAN BY TECHNICAL SUBSIDIARY BODIES SUCH AS WHO. IN ABSENCE OF DECISION BY MAJOR POLITICAL UN FORUM THAT NORTH KOREA IS QUALIFIED FOR MEMBERSHIP IN UN SYSTEM, IT WOULD BE INAPPROPRIATE FOR WHO TO TAKE ANY DECISION HAVING EFFECT OF INCLUDING NORTH KOREA IN WHO’ S PROCEEDINGS.

D. WE OPPOSE SEATING NORTH KOREAN OBSERVERS AT WHA BECAUSE THIS IS INTEGRALLY RELATED TO QUESTION OF MEMBERSHIP AND SHOULD NOT BE DECIDED IN ADVANCE OF DECISION ON MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION. AS FAR AS WE ARE AWARE, THERE HAS BEEN NO REQUEST FROM NORTH KOREA FOR THIS STATUS.

4. FYI. WE EXPECT POSTPONEMENT OF NORTH KOREAN APPLICATION WILL BE DIFFICULT, GIVEN FACT THAT ADMISSION TO WHO IS BY SIMPLE (NOT TWO-THIRDS) MAJORITY VOTE BY WHA, RECENT RECOGNITIONS OF NORTH KOREA BY VARIOUS STATES, HUMANITARIAN NATURE OF WHO, AND CONCURRENT ADMISSION OF GDR, ANOTHER “DIVIDED STATE” AT SAME WHA. PRESUMABLY, HOWEVER, SEVERAL STATES WHICH HAVE RECENTLY RECOGNIZED NORTH KOREA WOULD BE MORE AMENABLE TO POSTPONEMENT THAN TO OPPOSING APPLICATION. TACTICALLY, POSTPONEMENT WOULD COME TO VOTE BEFORE MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION AND THEREBY PERMIT MEMBERS TO OPT FOR INSCRIPTION ON AGENDA OF NEXT SESSION RATHER THAN AGAINST APPLICATION AS SUCH. ROK FONOFF’S ROUGH SURVEY SHOWS CURRENT VOTE MARGIN OF 18 IN FAVOR OF POSTPONEMENT. END FYI.

5. WE HAVE ASKED ROK TO HOLD EARLY DISCUSSIONS WITH US CONCERNING RESULTS OF SOUTH KOREAN APPROACHES MADE ALREADY, AND CAPITALS WHERE OUR ASSISTANCE WOULD BE MOST HELPFUL TO SOUTH KOREAN CAMPAIGN. WE HAVE AGREED TO SUPPORT ROK EFFORTS IN THIS MANNER PARTLY TO MINIMIZE POSSIBILITY OF UNHELPFUL CONFRONTATION BETWEEN US AND OTHER GREAT POWERS, INCLUDING PRC. WE UNDERTOOK, AT SAME TIME, TO INFORM OUR MISSIONS OF PROBLEM AND BACKGROUND.

6. IF HOST GOVERNMENT RAISE QUESTION WITH YOU, YOU SHOULD DRAW ON PARA 3 AND EXPRESS HOPE THAT HOST GOVERNMENT WILL MAKE ITS POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION TO SITUATION IN KOREA BY VOTING TO POSTPONE CONSIDERATION OF NORTH KOREAN APPLICATION TO 27TH WHA (1974). YOU SHOULD NOT RPT NOT, HOWEVER, APPROACH HOST GOVERNMENT AT THIS TIME.

7. IF LOCAL ROK EMBASSY RAISES QUESTION WITH YOU, YOU SHOULD MAKE CLEAR USG IS PREPARED TO HELP IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE, ELICIT FULL INFORMATION ON APPROACH SOUTH KOREANS HAVE MADE OR PLAN, REPORT IMMEDIATELY, AND AWAIT INSTRUCTIONS. ROGERS

1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files. Confidential, Priority. Drafted by Schaller on April 6; cleared by Ranard, McNutt, Stull, Noziglia, Monsma, and Chase, and in AF/RA and EA; and approved by De Palma.
2. The Department outlined the reasons for U.S. opposition to the application of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to join the World Health Assembly.