Office of the Historian

271. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the Secretary of State in New York and the Under Secretary of State (Herter) in Washington, August 14, 1958, 12:54 p.m.1

Washington, August 14, 1958, 12:54 p.m.

[Here follows discussion of Taiwan and disarmament.]

H asked how things are here and the Sec said he does not know. He was talking with Engen2 to see if he will head up a group sponsored resolution we agreed on with the UK.3 There is some feeling to make it in two parts—the first just re Lebanon and Jordan and then the second for the longer-range things. Fawzi said let Jordan unite with Iraq and the Sec said we know they will take over.4 [5 lines of source text not declassified] The Sec said he had expressed the view partly for technical reasons etc., but not to the above extent. He was exercised and Lloyd thinks Murphy is largely responsible for the impression. M did not give the impression the Br agreed. H and the Sec had a different impression of what M said—Rountree was not here for the Sec to ask and H said he would ask M.5 The Sec said there are no great fireworks—Jordan is speaking this p.m. Lloyd spoke this a.m.6

[Here follows additional discussion of disarmament.]

  1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Telephone Conversations. Transcribed in New York by Phyllis D. Bernau. Dulles placed the call to Herter.↩
  2. Hans Engen, Norwegian Under Secretary of State and head of the Norwegian Delegation.↩
  3. Dulles met with Engen later in the day and explained that the U.S. Delegation had been working on a possible resolution which would cover the points made by the President on August 13 in his speech to the General Assembly. He told Engen that he had only discussed the resolution with the British Delegation before raising the matter with him. Dulles and Engen discussed the problem posed by Jordan at some length, and Engen agreed to consider acting as a sponsor of the resolution which was ultimately advanced on August 18 by Norway, Denmark, Canada, Colombia, Liberia, Panama, and Paraguay. (U.N. doc. A/3878, printed in American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1958, pp. 1042–1043) Engen was initially cautious, however, and discussed the draft resolution with the Secretary-General before agreeing to sound other delegations concerning cosponsorship. (Memorandum of conversation, August 14; Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 63 D 123, CF 1087; included in the microfiche supplement)↩
  4. See supra.↩
  5. [10 lines of text not declassified]↩
  6. For text of Lloyd’s statement in the General Assembly on August 14, in which he called upon the United Nations to facilitate the withdrawal of British troops by underwriting the integrity of Jordan, see U.N. doc. A/PV.734.↩