Office of the Historian

289. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Merchant) to Secretary of State Herter0

May 23, 1960.

SUBJECT

  • The President’s Visit to Lisbon, May 19–20, 1960
1.
General. The President’s welcome in Lisbon by Government officials and the people alike was warm and impressive, particularly in light of the fact that the change in the date left some planning incomplete and the Portuguese Government had less than twenty-four hours confirmation of his actual arrival date. The President’s impromptu remarks to the Embassy Staff before lunch (which were subsequently given almost verbatim to the press by Mr. Hagerty) and to the Chiefs of the Diplomatic Missions in the afternoon were enthusiastically received. The President’s toast at the dinner he gave that evening for the President of Portugal was interrupted twice by applause—an action which was unprecedented, according to several Portuguese who spoke to me afterwards. All those with whom he talked individually were greatly impressed and the crowds in the street showed unanimous spontaneous enthusiasm on each of his public appearances from arrival to departure.
2.

Talk with Salazar. The President talked alone with Salazar for over an hour with only the latter’s interpreter and Colonel Walters present.1 They discussed the Summit Conference and the results of the NATO meeting earlier in the day. Most of the time, however, according to the President, was devoted to Dr. Salazar’s exposé of the situation in Africa and his forebodings concerning the fragmentation of the Continent. The President told me that he listened sympathetically but urged on Dr. Salazar the responsibility of the most highly developed western nations to give assistance to the emerging new countries in Africa, and to present to Africa an example in Europe by moving ahead on the latter Continent with further steps toward unity and integration. (Mr. Hagerty in his subsequent press briefing with the President’s approval did not specifically mention Africa as a topic of conversation.) Colonel Walters was writing virtually a verbatim record of the talk between the President and Salazar which we were informed was being forwarded from Paris to the White House.

[Here follow paragraphs 3 and 4 regarding unrelated matters.]

5.
Tour of Lajes Air Base in The Azores. Shortly before arrival for refueling, the President sent word ahead that he would like to tour the Air Base with the Portuguese General Commanding and the American General in Command of the U.S. contingent. He asked me to accompany him, and we made a tour of the Base with a stop at the Officers’ Club and a visit to the PX, where the President bought some gifts for his grand-children. From observation and from every remark made there by Americans and Portuguese alike, the relations between the Portuguese and the Americans on the Base are excellent.

[Here follows paragraph 6 regarding unrelated matters.]

  1. Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 64 D 559, CF 1681. Secret.↩
  2. See Document 288.↩