127. Letter From Secretary of State Herter to President Eisenhower0
Dear Mr. President: I have been giving a great deal of thought to your suggested program of Food for Peace and the way in which it might best be developed during the coming months. As you are fully aware, the greatest obstacle to effecting an orderly distribution of surplus foodstuffs arises from fears of those nations which themselves have surpluses which their own economies require them to sell in world markets. In connection with our own PL 480 program, this has been a constant preoccupation with us.
In order that the fears of these nations could be allayed and that other nations might become beneficiaries of a portion of the distributions made under a concerted program, I feel it would be very wise to get a sound groundwork laid. Secretary Benson is at the present time taking a trip to some of the European and Middle Eastern countries. I would recommend strongly that, on his return which is anticipated somewhere around the middle of August, he be requested to undertake some more extended trips which would include such nations as Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in South America, Australia and New Zealand [Page 264] in the Far East, and, at the same time, while in the latter area, he visit such countries as Indonesia, the Philippines, Formosa and Japan. It would also be helpful if he could examine the sugar situation in the surplus sugar-producing countries like Brazil since sugar will undoubtedly be a subject of considerable controversy in the next few years.
I have not tried to be all-inclusive in the suggestions contained herein, but, if you think well of the idea, I would be very glad to work out a specific itinerary which, while it might be large, would at the same time be most useful toward achieving the specific objectives which you have had in mind in connection with your program.
I suggest Secretary Benson for this particular assignment because of his extensive experience, because of the fact that he has made a great number of contacts in previous travels in these various countries, and is, of course, devoted to the idea of maximum utilization for peace of the surpluses which we may produce.
Faithfully yours,
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Dulles–Herter Series. Confidential. Initialed by the President.↩