Office of the Historian

330/7–1350

Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs (McGhee) to the Secretary of State

secret
[Washington,] July 13, 1950.

Subject: Personal Message from Prime Minister Nehru of India

At a meeting arranged at her request this afternoon,1 the Indian Ambassador, Madame Pandit, handed me the attached note2 including the text of a message to you from the Prime Minister of India3 appealing to you to exert your authority and influence for the maintenance of peace and the preservation of the solidarity of the United Nations by localizing the present Korean conflict and facilitating its early peaceful settlement:

“By breaking present deadlock in Security Council so that representatives of People’s Government of China can take seat in Council, the U.S.S.R. can return to it, and, whether within or through informal contacts outside Council, U.S.A., U.S.S.R. and China, with [Page 373] help and cooperation of other peace-loving nations, can find basis for terminating conflict and for permanent solution of Korean problem.”

FE, UNA and NEA will cooperate in the preparation of a suggested reply to Prime Minister Nehru but I thought you might wish to see the message immediately.4

  1. In a separate memorandum of conversation, not printed, on his talk with Madame Pandit, Mr. McGhee related that Madame Pandit told him she had received the message from Prime Minister Nehru after having arranged for her appointment with Mr. McGhee (795.00/7–1350).↩
  2. Not printed.↩
  3. The substance of Mr. Nehru’s message is given in this memorandum; the full text is printed in the Department of State Bulletin, July 31, 1950, p. 170.↩
  4. A manuscript note in the source text read: “See[retary] saw”.↩