871.001 Mihai/3–1148
Memorandum by the Secretary of State to President Truman
Subject: Suggested Reception of Ex-King Mihai of Rumania, Ex-King Peter of Yugoslavia, Former Prime Minister Nagy of Hungary and Former Prime Minister Mikolajczyk of Poland.
Ex-King Mihai of Rumania is scheduled to visit the United States unofficially from the middle of March to the first week in April. Ex-King Peter of Yugoslavia also anticipates coming here in a personal capacity this spring. Former Prime Ministers Nagy of Hungary and Mikolajczyk of Poland are already in this country. King Mihai and the Prime Ministers have expressed a desire to pay their respects to you and it is expected that King Peter will also wish to do so.
Brief biographic summaries concerning these persons are attached.1
There is, of course, no Obligation for you to receive refugee unofficial visitors and, accordingly, the line has been taken heretofore that pressure of your engagements has made it impossible for you to see the Prime Ministers. However, in the light of recent developments in Europe, we now believe your reception of these four over a period of several weeks would (1) provide opportune emphasis of the United States position that United States maintenance of diplomatic relations with the Soviet satellite regimes from which they have been forced to flee does not imply approval of those regimes, (2) give the USSR cause to speculate as to future United States intentions toward such regimes, and (3) demonstrate continued United States interest in the welfare of the important oppressed democratic elements among the peoples of those countries of whom these refugees are representative.
In the circumstances, it is recommended that, if you approve, arrangements be made for these former Heads of State and Prime Ministers to be received individually by you at your convenience.2 It may be noted that the French Foreign Minister has informed us that, while he is in Paris en route to the United States, King Mihai will be received by the President of the French Republic and the French Prime and Foreign Ministers.
- None printed.↩
- King Michael was received by President Truman at the White House on March 22, 1948. No record of the conversation has been found. No substantive matters appear to have been discussed. King Peter called on President Truman on May 21, 1948; regarding that conversation, see airgram A–143, June 10, to Bern, p. 416. Neither Mikolajczyk nor Nagy were received by President Truman.↩