795.00/11–1152
Memorandum of Conversation, by Armistead M. Lee, Adviser to the United States Delegation at the United Nations General Assembly
Subject:
- Korean Resolution in GA
Participants:
- Mr. R. G. Casey—Australian Minister of External Affairs
- Sir Percy Spender—Australian Ambassador
- Mr. T. Clifton Webb—N.Z. Minister of External Affairs
- Mr. L. K. Munro—N.Z. Ambassador
- The Secretary of State
- Mr. Ward Allen, EUR—U.S. Delegation
- Mr. A. M. Lee, BNA—U.S. Delegation
During the course of a conversation on other subjects, Sir Percy asked what the Secretary’s views were on the present status of the 21-power resolution on Korea. The Secretary replied that he considered that Vishinsky’s speech in Committee 1, although it was completely negative and “slammed the door”, was actually helpful to us, as sponsors of the resolution, because it had dispelled some of the illusions of many delegates who were toying with substitute resolutions. The Secretary said that he thought that we could accept minor modifications to meet the concern of those delegates who professed to see in our resolution an implied permission to extend bombing operations beyond Korea, there could be no “fudging” of the essential point of no forcible repatriation of prisoners. Any show of weakness on this point would be quickly exploited by the Soviets. (The Australians and New Zealanders expressed agreement.) The Secretary said that the British would be talking to the Indians on this point, and that he would be conferring to the same end with the Latin American delegations.
- This memorandum was typed Nov. 12.↩