37. Telegram From Secretary of State Dulles to the Department of State0
Dulte 1. Eyes only for Acting Secretary for President from Secretary.
Dear Mr. President: We have just finished a morning group conference with General de Gaulle and luncheon and then a private tete-à-tete—some five hours in all. We covered the waterfront, and although [Page 70] some differences of viewpoint emerged, there was no sharpness at any point. The atmosphere was friendly throughout and my associates feel that the meeting can be rated as a success. Further details are being cabled1 and I will report personally on Monday morning.2
The differences of emphasis related primarily, as we anticipated, to France’s desire to establish a sort of world directorate with U.S. and U.K. and to General de Gaulle’s antipathy to “supranational” organizations. There was considerable discussion about nuclear weapons. General de Gaulle did not press for assistance in their developing a nuclear weapon, but we did discuss at considerable length the placing of NATO stockpile weapons under joint control [1–1/2 lines of source text not declassified].
The General sent his obviously very sincere regards and best wishes to you.
Faithfully yours, Foster.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.51/7–558. Secret. A copy of this telegram in the Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, International File, bears the President’s initials.↩
- A summary of Dulles’ morning conversation with de Gaulle was transmitted in Secto 2 from Paris, July 5. (Ibid.) The memorandum of this conversation is printed as Document 34.↩
- On Monday, July 7 at 10:30 a.m., Dulles briefed the President on his trip. The President approved the draft of a letter to de Gaulle expressing his thanks and best regards. (Memorandum of conversation with the President by Dulles, July 7; Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers)↩