501.BC/5–2546: Telegram
The United States Representative at the United Nations (Stettinius) to the Secretary of State
urgent
[Received 3:20 p.m.]
233. Dr. Quo (China) and Sir Alexander Cadogan (UK) called upon me this morning. Cadogan opened the conversation by stating that Van Kleffens yesterday discussed with him various alternative methods for dealing with the Iranian matter. He added that he and Quo had been in conference this morning and had reached certain tentative conclusions which they wished to discuss with me. Since Quo was indisposed, Cadogan did practically all the talking.
Cadogan said he thought that Ala would very probably receive instructions today to notify the Council within the next 48 hours that his Government desires the entire Iranian matter to be dropped by the Council. Cadogan and Quo thought that in the event we do not hear from Ala by, say, Tuesday mid-day, some member of the Council should ask for a meeting not later than Wednesday at which it would be requested that Ala come to the table. They believe Ala should then be asked whether his Government still desires that the second half of the original London complaint relating to internal interference in Iran be continued on the agenda. If Ala responds affirmatively and states that the Iranian Government wishes the question of internal interference to be kept on the agenda, the Council should then reach a decision to remain seized of the question.
However, if Ala on instructions states that his Government does not desire that this aspect of the problem continue on the agenda, Cadogan and Quo agree with Van Kleffens that the Council should then take some collective action. This should preferably be in the form of a resolution indicating that, while the Council is not fully satisfied with conditions in Iran, no useful purpose can be served by continuing the question on the agenda longer.
Cadogan and Quo left me at 11:45 a.m. to draft a resolution in the above sense. Cadogan will give me a copy and I shall transmit it immediately to the Department.50
Before leaving, Cadogan volunteered that, in any event, he did not feel his proposed course of action would interfere in the event that the United States at any time would wish to enter a new complaint within the Council, as suggested by us a few days ago.
- Transmitted in telegram 234, May 25, 1946, 4:30 p.m., not printed.↩