Conference files, lot 59 D 95, CF 113
The Secretary of State to the President 1
Dear Mr. President: Just a word to report to you on the two most recent laps of my trip. I was very glad that I went to Berlin and was pleased with the reception we got there. I spoke at the dedication of a new library, made a few brief remarks at a dinner which Mayor Reuter gave for us and had press conference. The text of these will be supplied to you by the Department in the event you care to read them. While I said nothing new at my press conference, my remarks regarding our intention to remain in Berlin were what the Berliners appeared to want to hear and do not mind having repeated frequently.
Vienna is lovely. The weather has been beautiful and I have enjoyed seeing the city. We have had a very warm spontaneous welcome from crowds wherever we go even in the Soviet Zone as we passed through on the train from the airport. We have transacted no business whatsoever but have had a very heavy schedule of official calls, receptions and the like. Last night we went to a gala performance of the Marriage of Figaro. I thought of you and Margaret and wished that you could have heard it. It was magnificent. Everyone here from the President and the Chancellor down are thrilled at Margaret’s coming. Visits such as Margaret’s and ours to places like Berlin and Vienna are far more important than we at home can believe.2
People at both places have a tendency to feel abandoned. The fact that someone takes the trouble gives them the encouragement that they are not abandoned and that their situation is not as dangerous as alarmists might have them believe. We leave tomorrow morning for Brazil via Dakar where we will spend the night. This involves two full days on the plane and I hope to be asleep most of the time. I cannot begin to tell you what a convenience it is to have the Independence. It is the only thing that makes a schedule such as ours bearable. I hope you are well.
Respectfully,