768.00/2–1653
No. 675
The Counselor-designate of the
Department of State (MacArthur) to the Chargé in Yugoslavia (Wallner)
personal
Dear Woodie: In due course I received your letter of February 161 and instead of replying to it at once in a perfunctory manner, I put it aside in the hope that I could write you a letter giving my own views on some of the problems which you raised. Alas, since the receipt of your letter I have literally had not a single minute. I have been Acting Senior Staff Member of the NSC (which now takes hours every week) and also have had many other chores and duties.
The purpose of this brief note is simply to let you know how much I appreciate your letter and to promise you that I will write you very soon a long letter.
At the risk of over-simplification, I might simply say here that I think the mental outlook of your clients is and has been evolving steadily in the right direction. I would be lacking in frankness, however, if I did not tell you that I think on occasions we have really not laid it on the line with Mr. T. By this I mean there has been a tendency on this side (particularly among the people in the five-sided building and other US circles) to treat Mr. T as if he had everything that we needed whereas we had nothing that he really wanted. On his side, there has been an equal tendency to behave as if we needed him but he did not need us. Some of his ill-tempered statements and declarations have placed very serious strains upon us. In particular, I think that he should thoroughly understand that we have problems and responsibilities with respect to our NATO allies, particularly Italy, and everything that he does and says to exacerbate relations with Italy simply make unnecessary complications and difficulties for us.
Personally I am convinced that the heart of the whole problem of Yugoslavia’s relations with the West now is the question of a Trieste settlement, and I would hope very much that Mr. T would recognize this and show a willingness, when the time finally comes to negotiate, to go half-way.
I hope you will not think that this sounds like preaching or carping because, as I started out by saying, I do believe things have moved a long way in the right direction and will continue to do so.
[Page 1346]I will write you sometime soon a more considered letter on all this than the above over-simplified, hasty, and personal thoughts.
[Here follows a brief paragraph of personal remarks.]
Yours ever,