In reply to your secret minute (250/19A),¹ I spoke first to Mr. Noel Baker² who, you may recall, prior to our applying asked me to convey to An Taoiseach his strong wish that we should put forward our application for Membership of UNO. Until his recent appointment as Secretary of State for Air, he was practically engaged for the whole of his time on UNO matters and I find him much more communicative than others.

He told me he was in frequent touch with Mr. Hector MacNeill and the Foreign Officials concerned. He would make inquiry about the Assembly Resolutions and let me know. You will see from his private note enclosed herewith that though nothing has yet been done, the points of the Resolutions will be raised fairly soon.

There was no doubt, he emphasised about the support of the British for our application if we went forward again.

On the question of the admission of 'ex-Enemy' states, he felt that the Foreign Office line would be to admit them all to UNO, notwithstanding their own difficulties with Albania.

He was continually, to use his own words, indoctrinating the Foreign Office people with the importance of getting everybody in. The sooner those countries now outside were brought in, the greater the chance of co-operation and understanding beginning early. His experience led him to believe that it would take some time for new Members to acclimatise themselves to UNO - a very different layout to-day from that of the old League of Nations.

In view of Mr. Bevin's statement to me some time ago that he thought the world would hear less of the Russian veto in future, I asked Mr. Noel Baker what he thought of this view. He said that Mr. Bevin was, of course, better informed, but he was, himself, afraid that it would take some time to bring the Russians round to a reasonable view.

Later I spoke to Sir John Stephenson who also undertook to inquire about the two recommendations of the General Assembly. He told me yesterday that he could not find that any action had been taken.