110.11 DU/2–353
The Secretary of State to the President 1
[Dear Mr. President:] Have had useful visit at Paris. Yesterday devoted wholly to talks with top French officials largely in relation to EDC.2 While political difficulties are great, Stassen and I feel that there is real determination on part of present government, particularly Mayer and Pleven, to push this to a successful conclusion. There is still a hard road ahead, but we feel that ultimate success is possible and even probable.
Your State of Union message was very well received and slight initial concern about Formosa was quickly dissipated, so that French press this morning takes sympathetic non-critical view.
Today we met at SHAPE with Ridgway, Gruenther and many of your former associates,3 and then with Ismay, NATO Council4 and OEEC5 and believe we contributed to their morale and to understanding of your administration’s friendly policies.
[Best regards,
- This message was transmitted to the Department of State in telegram 4308 from Paris, Feb. 3, with instructions that it be delivered to the President and that no distribution be made except to the Acting Secretary. A memorandum by Matthews attached to the source text noted that a copy of this message was delivered to the White House on Feb. 3.↩
- For a record of Dulles’ and Stassen’s meeting with French officials during the morning and afternoon of Feb. 2, see telegram 4303 from Paris, Feb. 3, p. 1557, and telegram 4294 from London, Feb. 4, p. 1560.↩
- No record of Dulles’ and Stassen’s meeting with SHAPE officers on Feb. 3 was found in Department of State files.↩
- For a record of their meeting with Lord Ismay and their attendance at the North Atlantic Council meeting of Feb. 3, see telegram Polto 1325 from Paris, Feb. 3, p. 1561.↩
- For a record of their meeting with the OEEC delegates, see telegram Repto 2395 from Paris, Feb. 4, supra.↩