264. Editorial Note
Before meeting with Secretary Dulles at the Department of State (see supra), Macmillan visited with President Eisenhower at the White House, but no formal memorandum of that conversation has been found. At 11:20 a.m., Dulles telephoned President Eisenhower to ask what Macmillan had said. According to the memorandum of telephone conversation prepared at the White House, the “President said that Mr. Macmillan talked very much more moderately (about the Suez) than he had anticipated. He cheerfully admitted that the issue was Nasser rather than the Canal (said if they had closed up the Shell Refinery, England would have been much worse off). President said they had had a ‘nice chat’—had talked a little about the [Security Council] resolution Britain is drafting. Dulles said that the British were moving ahead without giving us an inkling of what is in their minds. He and the President agreed that probably the British didn’t know exactly how they were proceeding themselves.” The two then discussed the possibility that Senator Mansfield, who was then visiting Europe, was “playing politics” with the Suez situation. “Going back to conversation with Macmillan, President said that he had reported the loss in stock market, people selling short. Pointed out that the Users’ Association might give opportunity for keeping the Canal open and thinking through to a solution. President said he thought that Macmillan rather thought the Users Association is a good thing—reiterated nothing was said that might cause Dulles concern. He said that Macmillan was far less bitter than he had been a few weeks ago.” (Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Eisenhower Diaries)