103 USIA/5–1454

Memorandum of Conversation, by Jerome R. Lavallee of the Office of African Affairs

confidential

Subject:

  • United States Information Agency.

Participants:

  • Mr. John E. UtterAF—Chairman
  • M. Jean Jurgensen, Chief of the African Section, French Foreign Office
  • M. François de Quirielle, Assistant to M. Jurgensen
  • M. Gabriel van Laethem, First Secretary, French Embassy Messrs.
  • Nicholas Feld and J. E. LavalleeAF
  • Mr. William LewisUSIA

M. Jurgensen began his remarks by stating that the French appreciated the fact that the various United States Information Service posts abroad were doing their very best in carrying out their tasks. Of course, the French had no intentions of registering any complaints; however, they wished to point out that certain statements made by Mr. Sears in the Trusteeship Council1 and others could give rise to misunderstanding. M. Jurgensen wished to know whether it would be possible to establish closer liaison between our Information Offices located in the British and French areas in West Africa.

Mr. Utter pointed out that we had no Information Office in French West Africa. However, he was certain that our Consul, Mr. Ferguson, at Dakar would be very glad to forward to our Information Offices either at Lagos or Accra such information as might be transmitted to him by the local French authorities.

According to Mr. van Laethem this problem is essentially one of liaison between the home office and the field offices. He stated that usually the Commercial Press carried bad or negative news items. This should be counterbalanced by Governments which could carry news of a more positive nature. He cited as an example of the latter the 50 million dollar investments which have been made in the Office du Niger project.

  1. For documentation on the statements by Sears, see vol. iii, pp. 1355 ff.