54. Memorandum of a Conversation Between Secretary of State Dulles and Chancellor Adenauer, Secretary Dulles’; Office, Department of State, Washington, June 12, 19561
I spoke alone with Chancellor Adenauer and the interpreter, Mr. Weber, in my office before the larger conference. I said to Chancellor Adenauer that if he cared to call at the hospital on Thursday morning about ten o’clock to inquire about the President and to leave some flowers for him, there was a chance that the President might feel well enough to see him for a moment or two.2 However, this was problematic and there should be absolutely no advance leakage of this possibility.
Chancellor Adenauer said he thought he could arrange to postpone his trip to New York to meet this contingency and that he hoped very much that he could at least have a word with the President.
[Page 107]Adenauer asked about the position of Assistant Secretary for European Affairs. He asked whether we were giving consideration to Riddleberger. I said he was one of the names that was being considered. I had some question about his health. The Chancellor said he had been impressed by his qualities.
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Memcons. Confidential; Personal and Private; No Distribution. Drafted by Secretary Dulles. Chancellor Adenauer arrived in the United States on June 9 for an official State visit. For his account of the several meetings in Washington, see Erinnerungen, 1955–1959, pp. 159–175.↩
- On June 9, President Eisenhower underwent surgery at Walter Reed Hospital.↩