Office of the Historian

24. Memorandum of a Conversation, White House, Washington, July 29, 19551

Washington, July 29, 1955

PARTICIPANTS

  • The President
  • The Secretary
  • Mr. Robertson, Assistant Secretary, FE
  • Ambassador Johnson

Foregoing persons met with the President this morning at 9:30 AM. At the request of the Secretary, Mr. Johnson briefly outlined to the President the situation regarding Czechoslovakia with particular regard to the extravagant hopes of the people for some miracle to arise out of the recent Geneva Conference which would bring about their liberation from Communist rule, and the effects on the population of his (Johnson’s) removal from Czechoslovakia at this time for negotiations with the Chinese Communists.

The President then read a copy of the draft instructions to Ambassador Johnson for the talks with the Chinese Communists2 and he expressed his approval.

It was agreed that while no press announcement would be made by the White House concerning the interview with the President, a statement would be drafted for use only by VOA for Czechoslovakia to the effect that Ambassador Johnson had reported to him on the situation there and that the President had expressed his continued interest in the hopes and aspirations of the people of Czechoslovakia.

Subsequent to the meeting, Mr. Johnson drafted an announcement for use by the VOA which he showed to Mr. Hagerty who expressed approval.

  1. Source: Department of State, Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 64 D 199. Confidential. Drafted by Johnson who had returned to Washington from Prague primarily to receive instructions for his forthcoming negotiations with the Chinese Communists at Geneva. For documentation on these discussions, which began on August 1, 1955, see volume III.↩
  2. For text of the approved version of the letter from Secretary Dulles to Johnson, July 29, see vol. II, p. 685.↩