Office of the Historian

176. Telegram From the Delegation at the Summit Conference to the Department of State0

Paris, May 17, 1960, midnight.

Secto 28. As agreed by Western Heads of Government at their 10:00 a.m. meeting May 17,1 three Western Foreign Ministers met 11:00 a.m. same day at Quai d’Orsay to prepare draft communiqué to be issued by three Western Heads of Government in event Soviet refusal participate in summit meeting.

Discussion centered on French draft which generally acceptable to Secretary except for language which implied acceptance of Khrushchev proposal that best way out of present situation is to “postpone the conference of the Heads of Government for approximately 6—8 months.” Ambiguity eliminated from agreed text which being wired separately.2

During meeting Lloyd asked why President could not say he was sorry about U–2 incident and try to remove this as obstacle to summit [Page 467] meeting. Secretary replied he could not say he was sorry for good reason he was not. Moreover, he did not believe he could specifically commit President to attend summit meeting with Khrushchev in view insulting language which latter used and the atmosphere created thereby.

Following agreement on draft text Secretary referred to invitation which De Gaulle was addressing to four Heads of Government for formal summit meeting at 3:00 p.m. May 17 and then read text of proposed statement that President should make to press explaining acceptance of this invitation (text sent separately).3

Commenting on text Lloyd expressed hope that statement would not become publicly known until after Khrushchev had replied to De Gaulle invitation. Secretary replied he felt it essential issue statement as soon as possible after approval by President in order avoid any misunderstanding or give Soviets grounds for accusing US of misleading them.

Herter
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 396.1–PA/5–1760. Confidential; Limit Distribution. Repeated to London, Bonn, and Moscow. A more detailed memorandum of the conversation at this meeting (US/MC/32), with French, British, and agreed tripartite communiqué attached, is ibid., Conference Files: Lot 64 D 559, CF 1664.↩
  2. See Document 175.↩
  3. The cable in which this was sent has not been identified. For text of the agreed communiqué, see American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1960, p. 431.↩
  4. For text, see ibid., pp. 430–431.↩