Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Ambassador of India Madame Vijayalakshmi Pandit, and Mr. Joseph S. Sparks

the segum ARCHIVES "NATIONAL AND RECORDS 0001545 N SERVICE" DEPARTMENT OF STATE 221 174 Memorandum of Conversation DATE: June 29, 1949 SUBJECT: Indian Request for United States Support of its Security Council Candidacy: Kashmir PARTICIPANTS: Mr. Dean Acheson - Secretary of State Madame Vijayalakshmi Pandit - Ambassador of India Mr. Joseph S. Sparks - SOA COPIES TO: S/S NEA USUN UNA SOA American Embassies New Delhi, Karachi, London 1-1493 In relating the background of her government's in- structions to her to request the reaction of the United States to India's candidacy for the Security Gouncil Madame Pandit spoke in detail of the developments during the 1947 elections, In addition to the general infor- mation which Was already fully known to me she said that the British had given India assurances in 1947 that they would support India for the SC as the Commonwealth mem- ber in a subsequent election but were already committed in 1947 to the support of Canada. She said that India had not as yet approached the British with regard to the 1949 election but that her colleague in London was un- doubtedly doing so at the present time. She wished it understood, however, that India did not think of itself so much as a Commonwealth candidate as it did as the ob- vious choice for a representative of the important area of South Asia. In addition she stressed that India' internal stability would be beneficially affected by its assumption of the important position of member of the sc. Madame Pandit spoke at considerable length on the subject of the reliability of India within the democratic framework spearheaded in the SC by the US and the UK. She DECLASSIFIED SECRET E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or (E) Dept. of State letter, Aug. 9, 1973 7-2375 Bay NLT- HC : NARS Date 4-22-76