Office of the Historian

141. Telegram From Secretary of State Dulles to the Department of State0

Copenhagen, May 5, 1958, 8 p.m.

Dulte 7. Eyes Only Acting Secretary for President from Secretary.

Dear Mr. President: We have just finished the first day’s NATO session, the principal activity from my standpoint was my report on behalf of France, UK and US on the diplomatic negotiations with the Soviet Union in Moscow, and then a narrative of the events which led up to the Soviet veto of our Arctic proposal; my discussion of the possible implications of the “principle of parity” and a brief recapitulation of our attitude toward a summit conference.1 I think I made clear the genuine and bitter disappointment we felt at the refusal of the Soviet Union at least to begin talks about inspection in the Arctic area. I may say that on all sides there is commendation of the way we handled this Arctic matter. So far as the other speakers were concerned, the most significant development was the strong insistence by Selwyn Lloyd, backed up by Luns of the Netherlands, that we must not divorce nuclear weapons from conventional weapons. Lloyd called on the Council to take a clear decision in this sense.2

Yesterday afternoon I spent two hours and more with Selwyn Lloyd going over the different positions in the world where we are working together, notably Libya and Lebanon.3 The British have great concern about both of these positions. They themselves are doing a little more than expected in Libya and want us also to do a little bit more. They are particularly anxious to have us do something for Lebanon. I [Page 337] told Lloyd of our thinking about a possible gift of grain. Also I mentioned this to Smith, the Canadian Foreign Minister, because I wanted him to understand why we might be doing it as they would normally react adversely to “dumping” wheat in their possible markets. He seemed to take the prospect calmly.4

I met Pella, the Italian Foreign Minister, privately before the meeting and heard his urgent appeal for inclusion in a summit conference or Foreign Ministers’ conference as something that would influence, according to him, five million votes in the forthcoming elections.5 I am not yet clear as to what we can do to help him.

Von Brentano and others of the German Delegation lunched with me today and we went over the problem of German reunification as to which there had been some confusion, particularly with reference to the reporting of Hearst’s interview with the Chancellor.6 Actually the German Government holds to the view that the reunification of Germany must be discussed, but he did not want to make a solution of the German problem a condition precedent to progress in disarmament. The Foreign Minister made a statement this afternoon which, if adequately published and properly interpreted, should clear up misunderstanding on this point.7

Tonight we dine with the Prime Minister at the Tivoli Gardens, and I face, I fear with inappropriate equanimity, the prospect of some more good Danish food.

Faithfully yours, Foster.

Dulles
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 396.1-CO/5–558. Secret.↩
  2. See footnote 2, Document 140.↩
  3. Lloyd’s and Luns’ comments are summarized in Document 140.↩
  4. See Document 136.↩
  5. No record of this conversation has been found.↩
  6. A memorandum of Dulles’ conversation with Pella on May 5 is in Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 63 D 123, CF 1011.↩
  7. A memorandum of Dulles’ conversation with Von Brentano on May 5 is ibid. Hearst’s interview with Konrad Adenauer, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, has not been found.↩
  8. Not further identified.↩