Conditional partners: Eisenhower, the United Nations, and the search for a permanent peace

This dissertation examines the Eisenhower administration's relationship with the United Nations and its use of that body to achieve its foreign policy goals. It is based on extensive use of manuscript sources, especially those at the Eisenhower Library and the papers of Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., as well as the burgeoning secondary literature. Focusing on President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, and Permanent Representative to the UN Lodge, the study chronicles the development of the administration's views on collective security, international organization, and specifically the United Nations. The dissertation identifies two distinct periods (1953-1955 and 1956-1960) in the administration's relationship with the UN and explores the United States' use of the organization during those periods. During the early period, the administration concentrated on rebuilding public confidence in the UN, while using the organization to legitimize its Cold War policies. During the later period, the United States became more actively involved in the United Nations on a broader range of issues, particularly those pertaining to the growing number of Third World countries and the UN's role in the maintenance of international peace.;Throughout both periods, the American relationship with the United Nations was characterized by a marked ambivalence and restraint. Despite a strong rhetorical commitment and good intentions, Eisenhower did not take an activist approach to the organization except in times of crisis. As a result, the administration never developed a coherent and clearly articulated strategy toward the United Nations. The UN became less an instrument of aggressive foreign policy than a reactive shield which the administration used to defend its interests against unforeseen events and developments. This study concludes that, even given the significant constraints inherent in the Cold War, the Eisenhower administration failed to exploit the UN's full potential. It thus lost an opportunity to create a partnership with the United Nations which might well have made greater progress toward President Eisenhower's paramount goal--a lasting international peace.