Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, United Nations Affairs, Volume III

UNP files, lot 59 D 237, “Slates”

Memorandum by the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for United Nations Affairs (Wainhouse) to the Secretary of State¹

confidential

[Washington,] July 23, 1954.

• Subject:
• Presidency of the Ninth General Assembly

Pursuant to a request from your office, following is a summary of the key events and considerations leading up to our decision to support Prince Wan for the Presidency of the Ninth General Assembly.

1. The Dutch made their initial approach regarding the Presidency of the Ninth General Assembly on August 21, 1953. The record shows that in that and subsequent conversations (Tab A) we did not make any commitment to the Dutch, but that we did encourage them, and they may well have interpreted our remarks as an indication that we would probably support Van Kleffens.

2. The Department first learned of the possibility of the Wan candidacy in late April 1954. USUN reported information received from the British that Wan desired the Presidency. In April and subsequently, Ambassador Lodge recommended that the United States support Prince Wan for the Presidency or Thailand for the Security Council. The latter course would have required us to support Thailand for a Security Council seat which has been held by a Western European state since 1946.

3. On June 28 Mr. Key raised with you the substance of a memorandum (Tab B), cleared by the regional bureaus and Mr. Murphy, which recommended that you authorize Ambassador Lodge to inquire of Prince Wan whether he was a candidate, and, if so, to assure him of our support. You decided to postpone the decision and requested Mr. Murphy to hold a meeting of the Assistant Secretaries to review the matter.

4. A meeting in Mr. Murphy’s office on June 30 resulted in a unanimous recommendation that we sound out Prince Wan and offer our support if he were a candidate. The principal reasons for this decision are advanced in the attached memorandum sent to you by Mr. Murphy on June 30 (Tab C).

5. On July 1, after discussion with Prince Wan regarding arrangements for resuming the Eighth Assembly on the Thai appeal for a Peace Observation Committee, you asked Prince Wan whether he would like to be a candidate, stating that if that were the case “we might this year get in the position to give him support” (Tab D). Prince Wan said he thought it was not wise to run unless he had a good chance of success. He indicated that he would take soundings among the Latin American delegations in particular and inform us of the results. On July 13, Prince Wan informed Mr. Murphy that his canvass of the Latin American delegations had been completed and that he was optimistic over Latin American support. Under these circumstances Wan wished you to know he would be a candidate. In accordance with your decision of July 17, Mr. Murphy on July 19 informed the Dutch Charge d’Affaires of our decision to support Prince Wan.

1. Drafted by Joseph J. Sisco, Staff Assistant, Bureau of UN Affairs, and Betty Gough and Philip A. Mangano> of the Office of UN Political and Security Affairs.