398. Letter From the President to the Secretary of State1
Dear Foster: Do you think there would be any percentage in initiating a drive to attempt to bring back Nasser to our side? I do not have in mind anything spectacular or, indeed, anything that would get in the papers. My thought would be that either through the Ambassador or anybody else you can trust, you would start inquiring from him whether he saw any basis for rapprochement and [what] would he be prepared to do in the way of easing tensions in the Mid East if we on our part would resume efforts to help him over some of his difficulties.
If we do this it will, of course, have to be skillfully done—certainly we don’t want to be in the position of “bootlicking a dictator.”
Please do not send me any written answer. This note is merely to suggest that we talk about the subject when we have a little time together.
As ever,
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Meetings with the President. Personal; Eyes Only. Attached to Document 400. A marginal notation on the source text by Bernau reads: “Sec saw”.↩