IO Files: US/A/487

Memorandum of Conversation, by Ambassador William Dawson of the United States Delegation Staff of Advisers

secret

In connection with our discussion today of the Latin American candidacy for the Security Council, Aranha inquired as to our other candidates. I told him they were Canada and Czechoslovakia. He said that he would work with the Latin American group to assure support for both countries. He expressed particular interest in Canada, to which country Brazil has been committed for some time. I told him (pursuant to a conversation with Mr. Raynor) that it would be well to line up Latin American support for Canada promptly before any of the group committed themselves to India which may be soliciting votes. With regard to Czechoslovakia, he said the Czechs had told a number of Latin American Delegations they do not want to be on the Security Council (for the same reasons given us). I said that we were nevertheless maintaining Czechoslovakia on our list and that we hope it will be elected.

As respects the Economic and Social Council and the Trusteeship Council, I told Aranha I would endeavor to let him have our definitive lists tomorrow. He knows, of course, that we are supporting Brazil for the Economic and Social Council. He consulted his instructions and said that Denmark is the only country to which Brazil is already committed for the Economic and Social Council. He expressed the opinion that India should be re-elected, since, if it fails of election to the Security Council (and he considers Canada much the more desirable candidate), India with its 300,000,000 inhabitants will otherwise not be on any Council. I told him that I did not believe that we could support India or for that matter any country outside of the Big Five for re-election. He said he thought that in the particular case of India an exception ought to be given serious consideration.

Aranha inquired whether there would be a place on our slate for the Trusteeship Council for a Latin American country. I said I was quite sure this would not be the case.