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Documents on Canadian External Relations
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Volume #14 - 227. | |
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CHAPTER III UNITED NATIONS | |
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PART
2 GENERAL POLICY | |
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SECTION
B GENERAL POLICY | |
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SUB-SECTION
7 COUP D'ÉTAT IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA | |
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227. |
DEA/50165-40 |
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Permanent Delegate to United Nations to Secretary of State for External Affairs | |
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TELEGRAM 323 SECRET. IMMEDIATE. |
New York,
March 15th, 1948 |
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Reference our message No. 321 of 13th Marcht regarding Chilean representative's submission to the Council on Czechoslovakia. I have learned from United States and United Kingdom delegations that they intend giving their support to having the Chilean submission put on the agenda of the Council and discussed on Wednesday, 17th March. 2. Neither delegation has decided what course of action the Council should take in any subsequent debate so far, but feel that in view of the seriousness of the charges regarding events in Czechoslovakia and the effect on public opinion, they have no alternative but to have the Council discuss the matter. As regards the possible outcome, a member of the United States delegation indicated that an appropriate objective would be an investigation regarding the charges of Soviet intervention in the coup in Prague, which he admitted might be difficult to prove in view of obvious Czech complicity. In any case, he thought that the Council should endeavour to ascertain the facts by its own investigation. Investigation, if proposed to the Council, might be vetoed by Gromyko in which case the responsibility for preventing action on the part of the Council would squarely rest on the Soviet delegation. If on the other hand, Gromyko were to walk out of the Council when the Czech question is put on the agenda, the Council would then be presumably at liberty to adopt a Resolution establishing an investigation of the charges. This action would serve to focus public opinion on the tactics of "indirect aggression" employed by the Soviet Union. 3. I would appreciate your advice as soon as possible as to the position the Canadian delegation should take on the question of admission of the Czech question to the agenda of the Council. In the circumstances I think that we should vote in form of admission of the Chilean submission to the agenda of the Council. | |
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