IO Files: US/A/347
United States Delegation Working Paper Memorandum
Developments With Regard to the Election of the General Committee During the Course of the Assembly Sessions on September 161
1. After the opening session of the Assembly, on the morning of September 16, Advisers to the United States Delegation held a caucus in the Main Assembly Hall at Flushing. Among the salient facts revealed in a generally confused situation were the following:
- a.
- Ambassador Austin had talked with Brazil’s Ambassador Muniz, who was extremely upset by our support for Evatt.
- b.
- The Arab and Near Eastern States would cast their votes for Evatt but the Arabs were extremely desirous of electing Malik (Lebanon) as Chairman of Committee 3. They did not wish to have a Polish Chairman in a Committee which might deal with the refugee problem.
- c.
- The Big Five Meeting which had been scheduled for 5:00 p.m., September 15 was delayed by the Security Council meeting until late in the evening. Ambassador Austin did not attend. The Soviets put forward at that meeting demands for Vice Presidencies on the General Committee for Poland and the U.S.S.R.; for the Chairmanship of Committee 3 for the Ukraine; and for the Vice Chairmanship of Committee 4 for Byelorussia; the rapporteurship of Committee 2 for Czechoslovakia; and the rapporteurship of Committee 6 for Yugoslavia. Mr. Gromyko was reported as determined to secure a Chairmanship for Manuilsky.2 Having failed to get the Chairmanship of Committee 1 for him, Gromyko was now asking for the Chairmanship of Committee 3.
- d.
- The British slate, which had been communicated to Hayden Eaynor,
was as follows:
- For Vice Presidents, the Big Five, Mexico and Cuba;
- For Chairman of Committee 1, Bech;
- For Chairman of Committee 2, Poland;
- For Chairman of Committee 3, Lebanon;
- For Chairman of Committee 4, Sweden;
- For Chairman of Committee 5, India;
- For Chairman of Committee 6, Panama.
- The British thus proposed to reduce the representation of the Eastern bloc on the General Committee to two states.
- e.
- Mr. Adlai Stevenson, having discussed the Russian slate with Gromyko, reported that the latter was insisting on having the Chairmanship of Committee 3, although he would agree to give it to Poland, with a Vice Presidency for Manuilsky. Mr. Stevenson thought that Gromyko might be persuaded to shift Poland to the Chairmanship of Committee 2. Ambassador Dawson was strongly of the opinion, however, that because of our embarrassment in the matter of Aranha, we must support the choice of the Latin Americans—Chile—for the Chairmanship of Committee 2.
2. In the light of this information, it was agreed to try to meet the desires of the Latin Americans, the Arab States, and the British in as great a degree as possible by revising the United States slate as follows:
| Committee 1 | Luxembourg; |
| Committee 2 | Chile; |
| Committee 3 | Lebanon; |
| Committee 4 | Iran or, possibly Sweden; |
| Committee 5 | Poland (but only if the Russians agreed); |
| Committee 6 | Panama, or Sweden or Canada (if Aranha were elected President) |
3. Since Gromyko refused to consider the Chairmanship of Committee 5 for Poland, the United States slate was again revised shortly after 2:00 p.m., September 16 as follows:
| Committee 1 | Luxembourg; |
| Committee 2 | Chile; |
| Committee 3 | Poland; |
| Committee 4 | Panama or, if Aranha were elected President, New Zealand; |
| Committee 5 | India; |
| Committee 6 | Syria. |
In a luncheon conversation between Hector McNeil and Stevenson, who were joined by Sandifer, the British agreed to this slate.
4. After the election of Aranha, Panama was dropped from our slate, and the remaining candidates for Committee chairmen were elected without difficulty.