Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, The American Republics, Volume IV

Eisenhower Library, Dulles papers, “Memoranda of Conversation”

Memorandum of Conversation With the President, by the Secretary of State¹

top secret
personal and private

Washington, May 19, 1954.

Guatemala

I said that we took a very serious view of the arms shipments from Soviet-controlled territory to Guatemala. I said that it might require a revision of U.S. planning. In view of the gravity of the situation, the State Department had already contemplated setting up a special committee to advise with it informally with respect to procedures, particularly as to invoking the Caracas Resolution at a meeting of the Organization of American States. I suggested that this committee should consist of Dr. Milton Eisenhower, Walter Donnelly and Bill Pawley. The President agreed to the last two names. He said he doubted very much whether Dr. Eisenhower would be able to give any appreciable amount of time and he did not want us to ask him to do this. I said perhaps an hour or so a month would enable him to give the necessary counsel, and the President said that under these circumstances, he might be asked to serve. He had no question at all as to the propriety of his serving but merely as to the time involved.

[Here follows extensive discussion concerning Indochina.]

At this point Mr. Hagerty came in and there was some discussion as to what the President might say in his press conference about Guatemala, Indochina, and economic aid to India.²

J[ohn] F[oster] D[ulles]

1. This conversation took place in the White House between 9:30 and 10 a.m. Mr. Hagerty joined the President and the Secretary at 10 a.m.
2. In a diary entry for May 19, Press Secretary Hagerty noted that the President, Secretary Dulles, and he discussed foreign policy questions anticipated to arise at the 10:30 press conference. “On Guatemala,” he stated, “Dulles suggested and President agreed that the President say the shipment of Communist arms was disturbing and that that was one of the reasons the Resolution was passed at Caracas.” (Eisenhower Library, Hagerty papers, Diary Series) The record of the President’s press conference is printed in the Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1954 (Washington, 1960), pp. 489–497.