Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume XXV, Organization of Foreign Policy; Information Policy; United Nations; Scientific Matters

296. Memorandum of Conversation¹

Washington, April 21, 1963.

SUBJECT

• Fifteenth Anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights

PARTICIPANTS

• Mrs. Tree, USRep UN Commission on Human Rights
• Mrs. Nason, OES

I saw Mrs. Tree in response to her request for information on developments on her suggestion for a Presidentially appointed Committee to promote appropriate observance of the 15th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She had proposed such a committee before her departure in March for the 1963 Session of the Human Rights Commission in Geneva.

I explained that further thinking seemed to be needed on the function of such a committee. The U.S. National Commission for UNESCO had regularly promoted observance of Human Rights Week in the U.S. and had already developed active contacts with the public schools, many private organizations and information media. It would be important to enhance and strengthen these regular procedures rather than develop a new channel which would appear to bypass them.

Mrs. Tree said she had not realized the full scope of the regular activities when she had made her first suggestion. However, she thought there should be some special effort in connection with the 15th Anniversary, in line with the UN suggestions and our own leadership for this purpose. She also thought it would be very useful to provide some opportunity for the President to endorse Human Rights Week celebrations. She noted that the President had not thus far taken personal leadership except through the proclamation of Human Rights Week.

I agreed that there had been long term interest in obtaining participation by the President in Human Rights Day ceremonies. However, we had not thus far worked out what form would be useful.

Mrs. Tree thought that a committee might wish to develop its own plans and suggestions and that there would be no point in anticipating their decisions to any great extent. Her own interest was in some public pronouncement by the President—uch as reading his proclamation as a broadcast, commenting on the importance of the day in a press conference, possibly bestowing a citation for human rights work well done or some similar action. Mrs. Tree thought a committee might also give thought to proper display of the text of the Universal Declaration in connection with United States Archives as well as at the United Nations. The importance of the Declaration is greatly increased by the large number of new countries coming into the UN and making use of the Declaration in their constitutions and legislation. Since the Universal Declaration has become the symbol of the inherent and inalienable nature of human rights, we should make certain that it is constantly kept in the forefront of public attention.

Mrs. Tree asked whether the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO might not wish to join in recommending appointment of a Presidential Committee to give special attention to the 15th Anniversary from the policy as well as the promotion point of view. I said I thought this might be possible since the National Commission would be having its annual meeting this week. I agreed to report her interest to Mr. Minnich, the Director of the Commission Secretariat.²

Mrs. Tree also thought she would like to talk personally with Mr. Gardner of IO and appropriate officers in CU to expedite prompt selection of a committee. We reviewed the roster of the present commission and former members. Among these were Archibald MacLeish who had helped draft the Preamble of the Universal Declaration in 1948 and Luther Evans, former Director General of UNESCO and Librarian of Congress, who has long experience in display and archive work. Mrs. Tree felt certain there should be some plan by which a Presidential Committee could strengthen the long term objectives of the UNESCO National Commission as well as the short term interests of the 15th Anniversary.

1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1960–63, SOC 14 ECOSOC. Unclassified. Drafted by Nason on April 22.
2. Mr. Minnich later disagreed; he thought any Committee should be appointed by and from the Commission, with some additional members possibly designated by the White House. [Footnote in the source text.]