Office of the Historian

273. Memorandum of a Conversation, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York, September 18, 1959, 10:30 a.m.1

SecDel/MC/15
New York, September 18, 1959, 10:30 a.m.

PARTICIPANTS

  • US
    • The Secretary
    • Mr. Merchant
    • Mr. Wilcox
    • Mr. Parsons
    • Mr. Sisco
  • UK
    • Rt. Hon. Selwyn Lloyd
    • Sir Pierson Dixon
    • Harold Beeley
    • Samuel Hood
    • Denis Laskey
  • France
    • H. E. Maurice Couve de Murville
    • Ambassador Herve Alphand
    • Amb. Armand Berard

SUBJECT

  • Laos

The Secretary informed Lloyd and Couve that yesterday he briefly saw the Secretary-General, who expressed his strong desire to substitute at an early date a UN presence in Laos in lieu of the SC subcommittee. He described the SYG’s proposals which include: submission of a resolution to the Security Council which would be vetoed by the Soviets; invoking the “Uniting for Peace” procedure to have the General Assembly consider this matter; submission of a resolution to the GA calling for the SYG to establish a UN presence in Laos and/or in the area generally. The Secretary informed Lloyd that the SYG seemed fearful that the Article 29 precedent would be carried beyond its procedural character. The Secretary said that in his judgment the subcommittee ought to remain at least long enough to make its observations, and it should not be replaced prematurely by the kind of action the SYG has in mind. The Secretary believed that the idea of a UN presence as contemplated by the SYG was a good one, but it should not be pushed prematurely. Lloyd said the UK had no objection to the idea of a UN presence as Hammarskjold has in mind. Lloyd pointed out that the Spinelli precedent in Amman2 has been useful. Lloyd agreed fully with the Secretary, however, that the SC subcommittee should remain in Laos as long as desirable and that subsequent [Page 628] UN action should not be taken prematurely. Couve agreed also that the subcommittee should be permitted to do its work before consideration is given to possible next steps.

  1. Source: Department of State, Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 64 D 199. Confidential. Drafted on September 21 and approved by Herter on September 24. A separate memorandum of conversation covers the discussion of SEATO military planning; see Document 45.↩
  2. Pier P. Spinelli, U.N. Special Observer on Arab Affairs, went to Amman in June 1959 to help mediate the border dispute and to faciliate resumption of relations between Jordan and the United Arab Republic (Syria).↩