Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XXIV, Africa

151. Memorandum of Conversation¹

Washington, April 29, 1965, noon.

SUBJECT

• Tunisia

PARTICIPANTS

• The President
• Foreign Minister Bourguiba of Tunisia
• Ambassador Rachid Driss of Tunisia
• Ambassador Francis H. Russell, Ambassador to Tunisia

Mr. Bourguiba expressed his appreciation to the President for receiving him at a time when the President is greatly concerned with difficult and fast-moving world problems. He said he had been asked by his father, President Bourguiba, to express his warm greetings. President Bourguiba has had the privilege of knowing personally President Eisenhower and President Kennedy and he looks forward at some time to becoming personally acquainted with President Johnson. In the meantime, he was asking his son, the Foreign Minister, to say how close the Government of Tunisia feels itself to the principles and objectives of American foreign policy. Both countries have their special problems and preoccupations which may make for minor differences in policy from time to time but as a general matter and especially when the chips are down, the United States will find Tunisia at its side. Tunisia may not be a large or important country but it places great importance upon democratic beliefs, integrity, and courage in pursuing its ideals.

The President said that Tunisia is important. What it stands for and what it has done, both internally and in its foreign policies, has been observed and appreciated by Americans. We want to do all we can to help it. There is a question as to what Congress will do with the foreign aid bill that has been sent up. There may be some cuts but the President thinks that the bill will come through successfully.

Mr. Bourguiba said that his government would like to make Tunisia a model of a democratic, progressive country working closely with the West and especially with the United States. It has just worked out its Four Year Program following the initial Three Year Program. The new program calls for a contribution by the Tunisian people of 60% of the development budget as compared with only 50% in the Three Year Program. However, there is a limit beyond which the people will not go in making sacrifices. If you try to push them too far you have to resort to totalitarian measures and you defeat your democratic goals. The Minister said that national security has become increasingly a problem for Tunisia as the result of developments of the past month and the misunderstanding, very largely an inspired misunderstanding, of what President Bourguiba was suggesting for a rational and pragmatic solution of the Arab-Israeli question. He expressed the hope that the United States could help the Government of Tunisia to make its Army more efficient. They do not wish to increase its size and they hope that some arrangements can be made with the United States for improving the equipment of the present army without cutting into the Tunisian economy and setting back the development effort.

The President said that he would ask his people to look into that question. Congress has practically cut out the military assistance portion of the Aid Program and it has become very difficult to give assistance of this kind. He said, however, that he was sympathetic to Tunisia’s problem and he would see what we could do.

1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Tunisia, Vol. I, Memos & Miscellaneous, December 1963–September 1968. Confidential. Drafted by Ambassador Russell on April 30. The meeting was held at the White House.