360. Memorandum From the Secretary of State’s Special Assistant for Mutual Security Affairs (Nolting) to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Sebald)1
The following is an excerpt from a memorandum of conversation which the Secretary had with the President on August 23:
“I mentioned to the President that we were having some trouble with Magsaysay because he indicated that he did not want to come here merely to sign the trade agreement but also to get some money, presumably $10,000,000, for the Rural Community Development Program. I said that it was contrary to our present policy to combine grants with visits of Head of State or Head of Government and that I hoped that we could adhere to that policy in relation to Magsaysay, much as we respected him and desired to respond to his pro-American policies. The President said he fully agreed and that while he would be glad to have Magsaysay at Denver, he was not willing to have that tied up with his handing a check for money to Magsaysay or anything like that. He did feel that we should be sympathetic toward Magsaysay’s problems and within reason help him with them where we could.”
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 796.11/8–2455. Confidential. Drafted by John W. Hanes, Jr. ↩