Eisenhower Library, C. D. Jackson papers

No. 749
The Special Assistant to the President (Jackson) to the Ambassador in Italy (Luce)

Dear Clare: I think your Italian elections paper1 is superb. The President has read it and thought it very interesting and extremely well expressed.2

Our brief discussion on the subject gave me the opportunity to say, “Mr. President, how is Clare doing?” Answer: “Very well indeed”.

Although one has to keep one’s fingers crossed until the last T is crossed, I am rather hopeful that the Emergency Immigration Bill will go through in substantially its present form, which, as you know, has a sizeable Italian quota. I am telling you this confidentially because it would not help the negotiations here if any anticipatory yips were heard from your country.

A most serious item is, as you point out, trade—and although the situation is far from hopeless, it is very slow-moving. There is no question as to where the President stands on this matter, but between his stand and the working out of the detail there can be an awful lot of slippages and compromises.

Again, sincerest congratulations on a wonderful job, and needless to say I am always delighted to read such material.

Best to you,

C. D. Jackson
  1. Reference is to the memorandum, which Luce attached to her letter of June 18 to Jackson, Document 744. The memorandum on the elections, which she also sent to Dulles as an attachment to a letter of June 19, was summarized in Document 747.
  2. In a memorandum of July 8 to the President, Jackson wrote “Attached is a memorandum from Clare Luce analyzing the Italian elections and current Italian trends. I think it is an excellent job, and if you could find the time, very interesting reading as well.” (Eisenhower Library, C. D. Jackson papers)