Secretary’s Memoranda, lot 53D444
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State
Subject: First Call of the Minister-designate of the Hungarian People’s Republic
| Participants: | The Secretary |
| The Minister-designate | |
| John F. Simmons, Chief of Protocol | |
| Mrs. Zsuzzanna Szüjcs, Attaché of the Legation | |
| Mr. Andor Klay, DRS, Interpreter |
The Honorable Dr. Emil Weil, newly appointed Minister of the Hungarian People’s Republic, called on me today at 2:15 p. m. to [Page 1468] present copies of his credentials and to request an appointment with the President.1
The conversation was of a particularly superficial nature, and Dr. Weil, possibly through shyness or lack of familiarity with the English language, said very little during the entire conversation, which lasted some five minutes. His contribution to our talk was so small, dealing with questions of weather and climate, etc., that the chief point to record in connection therewith was his reticence.
Toward the end of his call I expressed to him the hope that, during the time of his incumbency as Minister to the United States, there might develop an improvement in the relations between Hungary and this country, which have certainly not been good in the past.
Although Dr. Weil was accompanied by an Attaché of the Legation and an interpreter of the Department, the latter two persons did not in fact take part in the conversation.
Dr. Weil has a smattering of English, which he chose to use rather than to depend upon the interpreter.
No matters of a political nature were discussed.
- Minister Weil presented his credentials to President Truman on August 7. The texts of the Minister’s remarks on that occasion and the President’s reply were included in Department of State Press Release 706.↩