771.00/6–1553
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Acting Officer in Charge, Pakistan–Afghanistan Affairs (Metcalf)1
Subject:
- Security Council Resolutions on Tunisia and Morocco Proposed by the Asian-African Group
Participants:
- Mr. M. Shafqat, Chargé d’Affaires a.i., Pakistan Embassy
- SOA—Mr. Smith
- Mr. Metcalf
- UNP—Mr. Mangano
Mr. Shafqat called yesterday evening at the Department’s request to be given the US attitude toward proposed Security Council resolutions on Tunisia and Morocco which representatives of the Asian-African group are reportedly planning to introduce in the near future. [Page 612] Mr. Shafqat had earlier requested the Department’s opinion on the advisability of introducing such resolutions as well as an idea of the US position on the matter (memorandum of conversation, May 28, 1958).2
I began by referring to the traditional sympathy of the American people toward the aspirations of dependent peoples for self-government, and alluded to the Secretary’s June 1 report to the American people following his trip,3 particularly the passage in which the Secretary said that the leaders of the countries which he had visited recognized the disastrous implications of a break between the United States, Great Britain and France. The Secretary had declared that without breaking from the framework of Western unity the United States could pursue its traditional dedication to political liberty. The Western powers were certain to gain rather than to lose from the orderly development of self-government. I pointed to the Secretary’s accent on the word “orderly.” Continuing, I pointed out to the Charge that US support for General Assembly consideration of the Tunisian and Moroccan questions last fall did not imply US acceptance of the idea that these questions constituted threats to international peace and security. Rather, the problem was one of aspirations of dependent peoples for self-government and of the assurance of orderly progress in that direction.
I told the Chargé that the Department had studied the proposed resolutions carefully and that in its opinion insufficient time has elapsed since the General Assembly Resolution of December 19, 1952 for concrete developments to take shape. Mr. Mangano noted at this point that it is not realistic in a complicated process of working out further steps toward self-government to adopt an arbitrary cut-off day and say that no progress has been made thus far toward self-government, and that therefore one of the parties should be taken to task publicly. I concluded that the Department does not consider it advisable for the proposed resolutions to be introduced into the Security Council and that the US would not wish to see them introduced.
Mr. Shafqat indicated understanding of this position and asked if the Department had any alternative ideas in mind in behalf of advancing the cause of self-government in Tunisia and Morocco. He remarked that the Asian-African group was quite annoyed over the absence of French response to the group’s communications to the French Government on Tunisia and Morocco which were transmitted in mid-March through the President of the General Assembly. French inaction was interpreted by the group as an unwillingness to move ahead on the [Page 613] issues. Mr. Mangano said that the matter of alternatives is a different question involving various considerations. The Department hoped and expected that progress toward solutions of Tunisia and Morocco would be achieved along the lines advocated by the General Assembly last winter.
Mr. Shafqat said that he would report the Department’s position to his Government and indicated that his Government might instruct him to approach the Department again as to other ideas which the US might have in mind with respect to these issues.