Korea's application for membership in the United Nations.

1. The Membership Committee of the Security Council met at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, 24th February, to examine the application of the Republic of Korea for membership in the United Nations. I was represented by Ignatieff.

2. The main feature of the discussion was the dialectical arguments repeated by the Soviet and Ukrainian representatives, alleging that the Government of the Republic of Korea was a "Puppet Government", that the elections in South Korea, observed by the "so-called" United Nations Commission, had been false, and asserting that the only legitimate Government in Korea was the Government of the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" at Pyengyang.

3. The nine other members of the Committee spoke in support of the application of the Republic of Korea, basing themselves on the General Assembly resolution of 12th December. In accordance with your instructions contained in teletype No. 187 of 23rd February,† paragraph 2, Ignatieff spoke in support of the Korean application, making no reference, however, to the question of Canadian recognition. In fact, the statement consisted of the suggested text contained in your teletype No. 188,† with the mere addition of connecting phrases. (The text is contained in my immediately following teletype en clair). As the Soviet representative again made reference to the position taken by the Canadian representative on the United Nations Temporary Commission on Korea, the statement included reference to the Canadian statement in Committee 1 in Paris, given in your teletype No. 188, paragraph 2.

4. The Soviet representative, at the conclusion of the meeting, tried to make out that the whole discussion had been contrary to the rules of procedure, as the Committee had not formally adopted the agenda, despite the fact that the Soviet representative had objected to the consideration of the application of the Republic of Korea. Although this technical formality is not usually followed in the Membership Committee, the Soviet representative, no doubt, will claim in the Council that the whole discussion in the Membership Committee "violated the normal rules of procedure."

5. When the vote was taken in the Committee, 8 members voted in favour of the application; the Soviet and Ukraine against, and Cuba was absent. (Cuba had previously expressed support for the application.)

6. The next step in the consideration of the Korean application will be when the Committee's report comes before the Council⁹, unless the Soviet delegation asks for a discussion of the Committee's report in the Membership Committee itself, which they gave notice they might do.

⁹L'Union soviètique opposa son véto à application de la Corée, au Conseil de sécurité, le 5 avril. The Soviet Union vetoed Korea's application in the Security Council on April 5.