Foreign Relations of the United States, 1949, The Far East and Australasia, Volume VII, Part 2

890.00/1–1549: Telegram

The Chargé in the Philippines (Lockett) to the Acting Secretary of State

secret
urgent

Manila, January 15, 1949—4 p. m.

151. Romulo¹ arrived 5 p. m. January 14 and President Quirino² gave state dinner in his honor same night. Before dinner I told President Quirino apprehension is felt (Deptel 41 January 11³) that Delhi Conference⁴ might tend to become an anti-Western bloc causing a split between East and West. He answered with emphasis, “I will not permit it and Romulo will be so instructed”. He said I am also instructing Romulo that there should be no “yelling” by the Philippine Delegation in the conference—that it should assume a calm attitude letting others “carry the ball”. I told him New Zealand and Ceylon had accepted invitation reluctantly and Turkey and Siam will not attend. He said that is all the more reason why Romulo should conduct his activities in the conference calmly though vigilantly.

I mentioned to the President that we hoped the activities and actions of the conference would be kept within the framework of the UN. He replied “that will be my purpose and Romulo will be so instructed”. He said he held some apprehensions that some delegates to the conference might attempt to direct its activities along the “color line” thereby fostering an anti-Western bloc. He stated he thought this would be a mistake and Romulo would be so informed of his ideas on the subject. President Quirino said Moro Senator Pendatun is irked at him (he did not attend dinner) because of his slow approach to the Asian bloc idea. Quirino said the world knows we are for the Indonesians but the formation of an Asian bloc should be approached with caution and its activities wisely directed so as not to put the East against the West.

Later saw Romulo. He said although he had not received his final instructions the United States need not feel any uneasiness about the activities of the Philippine Delegation in the conference. He stated he would depart by Saturday January 15 (Manila time) for New Delhi in order to hold preliminary conference with his friend Nehru for purpose of “softening” any ideas which latter may have relative to “color line” activities in conference. Romulo said any general action of conference could not go beyond effective support which Asian bloc could obtain outside its own organization and he said that meant from the United States. Romulo stated he discussed this particular point with Philip Jessup.⁵

Sent Department 151; repeated New Delhi 1.

Lockett

1. Brig. Gen. Carlos P. Romulo, Philippine Representative at the United Nations.
2. President Elpidio Quirino was concurrently Secretary of Foreign Affairs.
3. Not printed.
4. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Indian Prime Minister, called a conference of the “Asian Organization of States” to meet at New Delhi in late January to consider, among other matters, the Indonesian situation. States represented were Afghanistan, Australia, Burma, Ceylon, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen, with China, Nepal, New Zealand, and Siam as observers. The conference resolved to explore “ways and means of establishing suitable machinery, having regard to areas concerned, for the purpose of promoting consultation within the framework of the United Nations.” On January 23 a resolution on Indonesia was adopted; for text, see the New York Times, January 24, 1949.
5. Philip C. Jessup, member of the U.S. Delegation at the United Nations and deputy chief of mission.