Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Western Europe, Volume VII, Part 2

114. Memorandum of Conversation⁰

May 22, 1959.

SUBJECT

• Mr. Pinay’s Call on the President

PARTICIPANTS

• M. Antoine Pinay, French Minister of Finance¹
• M. Herve Alphand, French Ambassador
• M. Raymond Arasse, Member of M. Pinay’s Staff
• The President
• Deputy Under Secretary Robert Murphy

The President opened the conversation with a complimentary reference to the achievements of the de Gaulle Government in the field of economics and finance, congratulating Mr. Pinay on his contribution to this success and saying jocularly that the United States could now look to France for financial assistance. More seriously, he said that this represented a splendid contribution to the economic health of France and the free world generally and is greatly welcomed by the United States. Mr. Pinay described the French effort expressing satisfaction over the improved French balance of trade and saying that those in France who had attacked him and the program had been confounded by the fact that while the currency devaluation was 30%, the increase of prices had not reached 7%, as the critics of the program had prophesied, but only amounted to 4%. Productivity had increased and the unemployment figure is low. In effect, he finds that there is every reason to be encouraged. French trade with the United States has shown substantial increase. Mr. Pinay brought up no specific French request.

The President tactfully led up to the question of NATO. He referred to his earlier association with Mr. Pinay at the time of the President’s tenure as Commander-in-Chief, SHAPE. He said that he had always felt that Mr. Pinay was a staunch supporter of NATO and the Alliance, so that when the President spoke of support of NATO he always felt that he was free to voice the views of great friends such as Mr. Pinay as well as his own. Mr. Pinay replied in the affirmative, saying that his attitude toward NATO has not altered and that he continues ardently to support it as a bulwark of the free world against communism. He said he feels also that that represents the general sentiment of the French people as a whole.

The President made a reference to General de Gaulle and said that at times he found it somewhat difficult to understand General de Gaulle’s attitudes on specific items. He referred particularly to the question of the atomic stockpile of weapons for nine U.S. Air Force squadrons in eastern France, about which there has been an extended period of difficulty. He did not understand General de Gaulle’s point of view on this subject, because this is such an obvious need, not merely in the United States but in the general interest of the Alliance. Mr. Pinay spoke at considerable length, saying that he at times does not agree with General de Gaulle, but he could assure the President that General de Gaulle is a true supporter of NATO. Pinay, as a civilian, of course, finds it difficult to dispute a military point with General de Gaulle, who is a military man and has that advantage over civilians. The President laughingly said that he found plenty of civilians on this side who did not hesitate to disagree with him. Pinay said categorically that he felt the President is right about this particular item and expressed the opinion that it could be settled in a matter of minutes if the President and General de Gaulle could get together for a talk. Mr. Pinay pressed this point three separate times. The President said that it might well be that such a thing as a Summit Conference might happen. He understood that General de Gaulle insisted that if it did happen that it be held not in the United States but in Europe. If that happened there might be an opportunity for the President and General de Gaulle to get together for a talk, and he has always said that he is willing to go anywhere if that is necessary to settle urgent questions. Ambassador Alphand translated this in terms that the President had indicated that he would be willing to go to Paris for this purpose. This was then repeated by Pinay in the terms of a conversation of the President and General de Gaulle in Paris, for which Pinay emphasized great enthusiasm. The President did not specifically agree to Paris as the place for such an eventual conversation.

Mr. Pinay also raised the subject of cooperation between the United States and France in the field of atomic energy, stating that this is a key subject in General de Gaulle’s thought. The President indicated his awareness of the importance of this question, made reference to the authority of the Joint Atomic Energy Committee of Congress, and there was a reference by Pinay to the vast expense which is unnecessarily being borne by France in research concerning secrets in the atomic energy field which are already known to the United States, the United Kingdom, and, for that matter, the Soviet Union. The President gave this bland and amiable treatment, without any specific commitment.

The meeting closed, with an exchange of friendly expressions and photographs.

0. Source: Department of State, Presidential Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 66 D149. Secret; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Murphy. The meeting was held at the White House.
1. During Pinay’s unofficial visit to the United States to deliver addresses in New York on the French economy and the Common Market, he met with government officials in Washington May 22–23. In a memorandum for the President, May 21, Acting Secretary of State Dillon suggested Eisenhower compliment Pinay, in his conversation with him, on the outstanding success of his economic program and express his concern about de Gaulle’s attitude toward NATO, especially toward the question of storage of nuclear weapons for the U.S. Air Force squadrons in France. (Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Administrative Series)