317. Memorandum From the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Merchant) to the Head of the Delegation to the Conference on Antarctica (Phleger)1
Further to our telephone conversation last night and your memorandum of November 18,2 I have talked to the Secretary and you are herewith authorized to accept the formulation which you quote as a combination of South African and Japanese proposals with respect to nuclear explosions in Antarctica.3 Language changes not affecting the substance of the proposal of course can be accepted by you in your discretion.
With respect to the matter of accession, for a number of reasons with which you are familiar we are anxious to secure the automatic eligibility of members of specialized agencies of the United Nations. We are not prepared, however, to wreck the conference and forego the treaty if after further effort you are satisfied that we cannot secure a provision for automatic eligibility described above. Accordingly we believe that a further effort to secure acceptance of our proposal should be made. You are authorized, however, in your discretion to yield on this point if thereby the treaty in its present form can be agreed by all participants through our acceptance of the last Soviet proposal on accession (or language having the same effect) and you further deem that continued withholding on our part would risk the achievement of this result.
The Secretary of course is currently familiar with the status of the negotiations on Antarctica and I suggest that if any new difficulty arises or you otherwise desire instructions you communicate directly with him in my absence.