116. Letter From the Secretary of State to the Representative at the United Nations (Lodge)1
Dear Cabot: I have your note of July 29 with reference to non-member participation. I spent considerable time today discussing the problem of membership and the related problem of Charter review with our people here, including Francis Wilcox.
My feeling is this:
The acceptability by non-members of non-member participation seems at the moment to be at a low ebb because of greater hopes for full membership. These hopes were aroused by the Bandung communiqué which proposed seven members, including Japan. There seems a fair prospect that the Soviet Union may take these up. The hopes of Italy and Austria have recently been increased by various Soviet hints. It could be that something might be worked out on membership at the Security Council meeting which will precede the General Assembly. I doubt that the non-member participation business will get very far until at least that has been tried and either succeeded or failed. If it succeeds, then the non-member participation idea is unnecessary and there is less urgency about a Charter Review Conference. If the present prospects of new members should fail, then I think the non-member participation idea could be revived as an alternative to an early Charter Review Conference.
[Page 292]We shall try to push our thinking along these lines so as to put you rapidly in a position to talk with others. At the moment, however, I think it is better for the Mission to avoid negotiations.
Faithfully yours,
- Source: USUN Files,IO, Membership. Confidential.↩