IO Files: US/A/1180
Memorandum of Conversation, by G. Hayden Raynor, Special Assistant to the Director of the Office of European Affairs (Hickerson)
Mr. Denis Allen, Counselor, of the British Embassy, called this morning at his request to discuss the following three matters:
[Here follows discussion of the first two items.]
Evatt’s Candidacy for the Presidency
Mr. Allen then read from a telegram from the Foreign Office instructing the Embassy to ask the United States if we will agree to support Evatt for the presidency. The telegram stated that the British had now made a definite decision to support him and have so told him. The telegram indicated that Evatt had asked the British to approach us in an effort to get their support. The Foreign Office also requested the Embassy to ask if we would be willing to campaign for Evatt in Latin America and that, if so, they would proceed to instruct their Latin American Missions to concert with ours in approaching Latin American states on this question.
I told Mr. Allen that I would raise this matter in the Department in the light of his instructions but that he in effect already knew our general thinking on the question of Evatt’s candidacy. I said that I thought there was almost no possibility whatsoever that we would be willing to campaign in Latin America as suggested.