Office of the Historian

331. Memorandum of Conversation0

SecDel/MC/123
New York, October 11, 1960, 4:20–4:30 p.m.

SECRETARY’S DELEGATION TO THE FIFTEENTH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

PARTICIPANTS

  • U.S.
    • The Secretary
    • Benson E.L. Timmons, Advisor, USDel, UNGA
  • Italy
    • H.E. Manlio Brosio, Italian Ambassador to the U.S.

SUBJECT

  • Call on the President by Foreign Minister Segni and Alto-Adige

Ambassador Brosio said that the first subject he wished to mention to the Secretary was the possibility of a call by Foreign Minister Segni on the President. Ambassador Brosio said he knew the Secretary understood that the Italian request indicated no dissatisfaction at all with the talks the Italian Delegation had had with the Department of State, but rather related to the importance attached by Italian public opinion to the Alto-Adige question. It would be most helpful in Italy for the Foreign Minister to be received by the President and to be able to present to him briefly the Italian viewpoint.

The Secretary said he fully understood and that the appointment was now being worked on by the Department.

Ambassador Brosio then turned to the substance of the Alto-Adige item. He said the Austrian Delegation was planning to introduce a resolution calling for full autonomy for the region.1 The Italian Government was greatly disturbed by the demonstrations that had taken place, both in Innsbruck and in Alto-Adige, on the occasion of the recent 40th anniversary of the Treaty of Saint Germain. Italian public opinion had been shocked by them. The Italian Government feared that the demand for [Page 838] autonomy was only the first step in the direction of a demand for self-determination.

Ambassador Brosio went on to say that the Austrians would probably be prepared to accept some compromise proposed by others, calling for a good offices committee or commission of inquiry. The Italian Government was not prepared to accept any such group or to grant full autonomy. The Ambassador noted that Foreign Minister Kreisky in his UN speech had not mentioned the deGasperi–Gruber agreement.2 Brosio said that if any resolution “that remains within the framework of the treaty” is proposed, Italy would, of course, look at it, but very much feels that the Austrians will attempt to turn it against Italy.

Ambassador Brosio asked for the help of the U.S. Delegation “in an active way” on the Alto-Adige. He said that in spite of the assurances of U.S. support, the Italian Delegation was concerned that “in the working out of the matter” in the UNGA, the support of the U.S. Delegation, which had so many other problems to deal with, would not be as strong or active as Italy wished.

Brosio concluded with the remark that “pure German nationalism” was at work in the Alto-Adige issue and that Austria seemed to be losing control of the situation and all sense of proportion. He said that since the debate will in all probability begin in the Special Political Committee on October 18, Foreign Minister Segni would like to see the President this week.3

Ambassador Brosio thanked the Secretary for this opportunity to discuss the matter further and said that he wanted to be sure that there was no misunderstanding on any of the points covered.

The Secretary reassured the Ambassador that the U.S. was fully committed actively to support the Italian position of referral of the case to the ICJ and that the Delegation would work actively to this end.

  1. Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 64 D 559, CF 1767. Confidential. Drafted by Timmons on October 12 and approved by S on October 14. The conversation took place in the U.N. Delegates’ Lounge.↩
  2. The U.N. General Assembly referred to the Special Political Committee the Austrian proposal for an autonomous South Tyrol on October 10. After several revisions (U.N. docs. A/SPC/44, A/SPC/L.46, A/SPC/L.47, A/SPC/L.48, A/SPC/L.49, and A/SPC/L.50), a diluted resolution calling for the peaceful resolution of the South Tyrol problem was referred to the General Assembly on October 31, when it was adopted by acclamation (A/4553). See Yearbook of the United Nations, 1960, pp. 176–179, for text of the approved resolution.↩
  3. See footnote 15, Document 295.↩
  4. A memorandum of Segni’s conversation with the President on October 12 is in vol. VII, Part 2, Document 280.↩