217. Memorandum From the Senior Political Adviser to the Mission at the United Nations (McSweeney) to Joseph J. Sisco of the International Organization Affairs Staff of the Mission1
SUBJECT
- Meeting of the “52”
The meeting was surrounded by UN security guards.
Shortly after 2:30 Dixon (UK) retired from the meeting and sat outside the better part of ten minutes before returning to the meeting.
A few minutes later Kidron (Israel) and Nisot (Belgium) came out together. Kidron told me that Dixon had objected to the fact that Maza was to be chairman of the meeting on the grounds that the meeting had no relationship to the General Assembly or the President thereof. The meeting then reverted to one of the “52” at which point those others who had been present, including Israel, Belgium and Greece, departed.
About 3:15 Spender (Australia) came out under a full head of steam. He said he had thought that he had prevented any possibility of a recording of votes. He said he had spoken to the meeting to the effect that if the delegate of the Soviet Union wished to ascertain [Page 449] how he, Spender, would vote he need only read the record of his speeches. He thought it most improper that the delegations should be convened in this fashion.
When the meeting broke up Mir Khan (Pakistan) said it had been completely chaotic and without any result. A half a dozen people had spoken, among these was Dixon who said it was his understanding that the purpose of the meeting was to reassure the Soviet delegate as to the vote in the General Assembly on membership. The Soviet delegate apparently did not speak.
After a half dozen speeches Trujillo (Ecuador) adjourned the meeting with a statement something to the effect that no vote, of course, would be taken, that the purpose of the meeting and its sense was well known.
- Source: USUN Files, IO, Membership. Official Use Only.↩