Policy Planning Staff Files
Memorandum by the Director of the Policy Planning
Staff (Kennan) to the Under Secretary of
State (Lovett)
secret
[Washington,] August 7, 1947.
Subject: United States Program at the Forthcoming General
Assembly
At your morning meeting on July 28, Mr. Rusk brought up the question of the
planning which should be put in hand in SPA
for the coming meeting of the General Assembly, with particular reference to
evolving some move by this Government which would gain for us the initiative
in that gathering. His suggestions were spelled out in detail in the
attached memorandum of July 23.1
It was agreed at that meeting that the question should be referred to the
Planning Staff.2
The views of the Planning Staff are set forth in the attached paper
designated as PPS/5.
[Page 594]
[Annex]
Report Prepared by the Policy Planning Staff
secret
PPS/5
[Washington,] August 7, 1947.
Planning With Relation to a United States Program
at the Forthcoming General Assembly
The Policy Planning Staff has studied the question of the United States
posture at the forthcoming session of the General Assembly, with
particular reference to the suggestions in Mr. Rusk’s memorandum to Mr.
Lovett of July 23rd. The conclusions of the Staff are as follows:
- 1.
- The major consideration in the formulation of U.S. foreign
policy for the next few months must be the achievement of
economic recovery in Europe. There is no initiative we could
take in the Assembly which could relieve us of this
problem.
- 2.
- The U.S. should not propose or support a multilateral mutual
assistance pact at this Assembly. While rejecting this specific
proposal, the Staff recognizes the necessity for early and
thorough examination of all possible means for attaining the
objective at which the proposal was aimed.
- 3.
- The Staff sees merit in the idea of this Government proposing
the establishment of some sort of standing committee of the
General Assembly to which problems of international peace and
security could be referred or which could at least occupy itself
with the question of concealed forms of aggression. It
recommends that planning along these lines be undertaken at once
in SPA.3
- 4.
- In general, SPA should study
possible technique for keeping from the Security Council’s
agenda international situations and disputes that are evidently
not susceptible of effective solution by that body in present
circumstances.
- 5.
- There should be prepared for possible use by the U.S.
Delegation to the General Assembly, without prejudice to
subsequent decision as to the manner in which they may be used:
(1) A record, couched in measured tones, of U.S. efforts to
strengthen the U.N. and to carry out effectively its purposes
and principles; and (2) a thorough indictment, also
dispassionate but vigorous, of Soviet efforts to block, delay,
or emasculate the proposals of the U.S. and other
Members.
The Staff is dealing separately with the problem of the impasse in the
U.N. Atomic Energy Commission and will shortly submit recommendations
thereon.
