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Rusk LL, Interview with Dean Rusk, circa 1985

Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia
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00:00:00 - United Nations military forces

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Partial Transcript: We are talking about the United Nations and with us today are former Ambassador W. Tapley Bennett, career Foreign Service Officer and on the way to Athens, I believe, and also Professor Louis Sohn of the Law School

Segment Synopsis: Dean Rusk discusses the military forces that are on call by the U.N. Security Council, and describes their responsibilities.

Keywords: Dag Hammarskjöld; Suez Canal; Trygve Lie; U.N. Charter

00:13:08 - Organization of the U.N. / Berlin and Vienna

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Partial Transcript: But coming to this particular point, there have been proposals several times in the United Nations, especially by Canada and Norway among others, saying that the United Nations should be better organized.

Segment Synopsis: Dean Rusk discusses several proposals that have been made to better organize the United Nations, so that they would be able to react more quickly to situations that arise. He also talks about the differences between Berlin and Vienna, which both had divided city sectors but implemented that policy much differently.

Keywords: Cyprus; Dag Hammarskjöld; Franklin Roosevelt; WWII

00:21:43 - Issue of Colonialism

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Partial Transcript: Let's shift now to perhaps a different subject, again something in which you have been interested from the very beginning: the issue of colonialism and the sudden growth of the independent nations in the United Nations.

Segment Synopsis: Dean Rusk discusses the issue of Colonialism and the sudden growth of independent nations in the United Nations. He also talks about the Pentagon, Defense Department, and the State Department and their views on decolonization.

Keywords: British Empire; Eastern Europe; Franklin Roosevelt; NATO; Soviet Union; Truman; Winston Churchill

00:35:31 - Aiding Greece and Turkey

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Partial Transcript: Next question--I am kind of taking things chronologically as they arose during your tenure in the department--was aid to Greece, Truman Doctrine.

Segment Synopsis: Dean Rusk discusses the Truman Doctrine, which agreed that the United States would provide assistance to Greece and Turkey, who were under pressure from the Soviet Union. He also talks about how the Untied Nations was involved in Greece.

Keywords: Arthur Vandenberg; Declartion of Friendly Relations; General Assembly; George Marshall; Joseph Stalin; NATO; U.N. Security Council

00:49:12 - U.N. Security Council problem solving

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Partial Transcript: The other thing that happened later with it, in 1950, was the Uniting for Peace resolution which was part of the proposal creating a committee to deal with crisis situations.

Segment Synopsis: Dean Rusk talks about a proposal for the United for Peace Resolution which proposed the creation of a committee to deal with crisis situations. He discusses article 33 of the U.N. Charter, which states that going to the U.N. Security Council to solve a problem should be used as a drastic measure after attempting other solutions.

Keywords: Andre Gromyko; Cuban Missile Crisis; Dean Acheson; Uniting for Peace Resolution

00:58:24 - Regional Organizations / Voting in the U.N.

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Partial Transcript: One thing in this connection with Article 33, and related to that, of course, is Article 52 about the regional organizations: one thing that is mentioned in Art. 33 is that you ought to go to a regional organization if available, before you go to the United Nations.

Segment Synopsis: Dean Rusk discusses the Organization of American States (OAS) and how they sometimes blocked Security Council action on the grounds that it was more appropriate for the regional organization to solve the issue. He also talks about the vetoing process for allowing countries to be part of the U.N.

Keywords: Article 33; Article 51; Article 52; Chiang Kai-shek; Mauritania; NATO; Outer Mongolia; People's Republic of China; SETO; Soviet Union; Taiwan; U.N. Charter

01:07:50 - Truman's views on Palestine

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Partial Transcript: Let's perhaps take another subject. One I was wondering about is Palestine, which is still now on the agenda anyway.

Segment Synopsis: Dean Rusk discusses President Truman's strong desire for their to be a Jewish state in Palestine (Israel). He talks about being asked by Truman and Secretary Marshall to negotiate between the Arab delegation and the Zionists at the Savory Plaza Hotel in New York.

Keywords: British Mandate; Clark Clifford; League of Nations; United Nations; Warren Austin

01:16:11 - Trusteeship proposal

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Partial Transcript: I think something that happened at the time that always fascinated me was suddenly the United States' proposal that Palestine be changed into trusteeship.

Segment Synopsis: Dean Rusk discusses the proposal for a U.N. trusteeship in Palestine to replace the partition plan of having two separate states in Palestine. He explains that even though this seemed contradictory to Truman's desire to establish a Jewish state in Palestine, he also wanted to create a solution that would satisfy both the Arabs and the Jews and not start a war. He also discusses the reaction of the General Assembly to the announcement of the Trusteeship Proposal.

Keywords: Clark Clifford; George Marshall; Jerusalem; League of Nations; Loy Henderson; Middle East; Soviet Union; Warren Austin

01:36:25 - Amending the U.N. Charter / Expanding the Security Council

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Partial Transcript: Let's perhaps go to a few more general questions. I have seen you mention several times the importance of the Charter of the U.N., especially the preamble Article I and II seem to be especially cherished by you.

Segment Synopsis: Dean Rusk states that the U.N. Charter is usually amended through practice rather than by a formal amendment. He also discusses his feelings on enlargement of the Security Council.

Keywords: Article 33; Brazil; General Assembly; Germany; India; Japan

01:42:53 - The Soviet Union and the U.N. Charter

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Partial Transcript: How would you distinguish positions of the Soviet Union and the United States to United Nations?

Segment Synopsis: Dean Rusk discusses some of the Soviet Union's violations of the U.N. Charter, saying that they have been "major, far reaching, and very consequential."

Keywords: Hitler-Stalin Treaty; United Nations; Walter La Feber

01:48:24 - United for Peace Resolution

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Partial Transcript: Sometimes I disagreed with you on some policy subject. One was United for Peace. I remember having a big fight once with Ernest Gross.

Segment Synopsis: Dean Rusk discusses the United for Peace Resolution, which stated that if the Security Council was unable to maintain peace because of a veto, the matter could be referred to the General Assembly. The Russians were very opposed to this resolution because the U.N. charter stated that the Security Council had the primary responsibility for international peace and security.

Keywords: Article 12; South Africa; human rights

01:54:55 - Budget Issue between Soviet Union and France

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Partial Transcript: Louis, can you help me remember the year in which the contributions to the budget issue came up, where the Soviets and France were taking a view? Was that '66?

Segment Synopsis: Dean Rusk recalls a time when both the Soviet Union and France were two years behind on their United Nations dues, which meant that they couldn't vote. He also talks about some budget issues in the U.N.

Keywords: Arthur Goldberg; Lester Pearson; Lyndon B. Johnson; Paul Martin; Security Council; UNCTAD