Lot 53D444: Secretary’s Memoranda
Memorandum by the Under Secretary of State (Webb) to the President
Memorandum for the President
Subject: Visit of Prime Minister Huu of Vietnam and Crown Prince Savang of Laos1
You have agreed to receive the representatives of Vietnam and Laos at 11:30 a. m., on Thursday, September 13th. They are addressed conversationally as Mr. Huu and Prince Savang. They have just returned from San Francisco where they signed the Japanese Peace Treaty as heads of the delegations from their respective countries. You met them very briefly in San Francisco when you received the heads of the delegations. They will each spend only a few days in America. Prince Savang has been here once before but this is Mr. Huu’s first visit. Mr. Donald R. Heath, the American Minister to both Vietnam and Laos, will accompany them; and will translate, since neither visitor speaks adequate English.
Since the visit is purely a courtesy call it is suggested that you might wish to address them along the following lines.
I am happy to see both of you again here in Washington. We are following with sympathy and admiration the developments of the bitter war which your countries are waging against the forces of international communism. We are doing what we can here to give you economic and military assistance. When General de Lattre comes here this week we will study in detail the question of aid for the Armies of Vietnam and Laos as well as the French Union Army. I want to take this occasion also to thank you for your contribution to the Japanese Peace Treaty and to compliment you on the fine presentations that each of you made at the San Francisco Conference. Your part in that conference demonstrated to the world that Vietnam and Laos are independent, effective and helpful members of the world community of free nations.
- No record of this meeting has been found in Department of State files.↩