Letter from Seán Nunan to Frederick H. Boland (Dublin)
(Secret)

With reference to your minute 250/19A of the 21st of March¹ regarding our application for admission to the United Nations, I desire to report that I brought this matter up in the course of conversations with Mr. E.T. Wailes and Mr. D. Linebaugh of the Department of State at lunch on Monday last.

Neither of them had any definite information on the point, but their opinion was that nothing would be done until the meeting of the Assembly in September next.

In regard to the question of Britain and Russia indulging in a little 'horse trading' i.e. Albania for Ireland, Portugal or Transjordan, they agreed that it was unlikely that Britain would withdraw her objection to Albania, but that Russia might not press her objections if the 'ex-enemy' States are admitted to membership because, as stated in the note which accompanied your 250/19A of the 4th February,² she stands to gain four votes.

I was not able to ascertain what the policy of the US Government will be in regard to the admission of these States, but Mr. Wailes said, and Mr. Linebaugh agreed with him, that he felt that if UN is to succeed as a world organization, all countries should be admitted to membership. He added that the US Government, while not at all favourably inclined towards Albania, would not object to her membership.

I am to meet one of the State Department officials attached to the US Delegation to the UN on his return to Washington in a week or so and will endeavour to get some definite information from him.