ODA files, lot 62 D 225, “us Representative in the Trusteeship Council”
Memorandum by the United States Representative on the Trusteeship Council (Sears)
[New
York
?,] September 22, [1953.]
Notes on United States Approach to Colonial Issues
| What We Do Emphasize: | What We Should Emphasize: |
| 1. We say that we are opposed to Communism. But in so doing we give the false impression that we are more concerned about fighting Communism than promoting healthy national ism as it emerges into self government. |
1. What we should emphasize is that we are historically wedded
to the principle of political liberty for all, and that we are
so devoted to the aspirations of all constructive nationalist
movements that we will do everything within our power to prevent
them from being captured or distorted by the tactics of
international Soviet imperialism. We ensure freedom for tomorrow by blocking Communism today. |
| 2. We say that we are opposed to extremism in any
form—colonial or anti-colonial. We state almost apologetically that we must be for a middle ground—compromise-policy in order to try and keep the free world together. The feeling seems to be that because we must have allies on both sides of the colonial question, we are thereby required to carry water on both shoulders. |
2. What we should emphasize is that we are for orderly
progress towards self-government as disorderly progress leads
directly to Communist exploitation. By orderly progress we do not mean the kind of progress that was geared to the leisurely pace of prewar policies. We should recognize that a speed-up is necessary; that growing intensity of nationalist movements will cut short the time which might otherwise have been used to accomplish the orderly development of an earlier day. |
| 3. We take the material as opposed to the moral approach and
talk too much about how we are going to
get defense, rather than why.
We over-advertise our obligations under our NATO alliance with the colonial powers. [Page 1166] This makes it look as if our traditional interest in political liberty has been weakened. In other words, we dwell too much on the mechanics of defense instead of the human reasons behind the necessity for defense. |
3. We should play up the moral approach by pointing out why
the free world must have protection against Communist aggression
and infiltration. We should press the point that the ultimate achievement of lasting liberty for dependent or other newly-liberated people can never be attained unless the free world can protect itself against the spread of international Communism which proposes to stamp Kremlin control on every nation it can subvert. Take, for example, our Air Force bases in North Africa. We should explain at every opportunity that these bases are just as essential to the survival of the Arabs and their institutions as they are to the United States and its institutions. |