Office of the Historian

75. Telegram From the Embassy in France to the Department of State0

Paris, November 29, 1958, 6 p.m.

2023. For Secretary. Saw General de Gaulle this afternoon and conveyed orally messages Deptel 17971 which evidently pleased him.

As to President’s invitation to visit U.S. he replied that though he would like to come he could not leave France in the foreseeable future for any length of time. He commented that his trip to see Adenauer was really not a trip at all as he was absent only a few hours.2 He expressed the hope that the President one day would again visit France.

Referring to Secretary’s messages he said that although tripartite meetings were not exactly taking the course he originally foresaw he agreed that they should proceed in Washington and “we will see what develops.”

In conclusion he made reference to seriousness of Berlin problem.

Houghton
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751.13/11–2958. Secret; Limit Distribution. A handwritten notation on the source text indicates that a copy of the telegram was sent to the White House.↩
  2. Document 69.↩
  3. See footnote 2, Document 70.↩