Office of the Historian

88. Message From the Secretary of State to the President, at Denver1

Paris, October 23, 1955.

I had a very satisfactory and I think useful visit in Rome. My coming there seemed to have been deeply appreciated by the government and people and it completely overshadowed Nenni’s return from Moscow.2

After I had concluded my visit with Gronchi on Saturday afternoon3 and formal dinner by Prime Minister Saturday night and business conference Sunday morning, I stopped at the Vatican and had an audience with the Pope (for your personal and secret information this was brought about on his initiative).4 We had a very useful talk which emphasized our common agreement that the “spirit of Geneva” while it meant, we hope, that our differences would not lead to war did not lead to elimination of those differences or blurring over the distinction of those who believe that the state is to serve man and not man to serve the state.

The Pope seemed himself to be in vigorous health and expressed his great concern at your illness. He said “all the world greatly needs you”. He also recalled your Philadelphia speech.5

Martino, the Italian Foreign Minister, came to Paris on the plane with me and this was an attention which he and the Italian nation, I think, appreciated. Best regards,

Foster Dulles6
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 110.11–DU/10–2355. Confidential. Transmitted to the Department of State in Dulte 2 from Paris, which is the source text. A handwritten note on the source text indicates that the telegram was sent to the Denver White House on October 25. The President was in Denver recovering from a heart attack.↩
  2. See footnote 4, supra.Nenni returned to Italy on October 19. In a conversation with the President on October 19 at Fitzsimmons Hospital in Denver, Dulles indicated that the purpose of his visit had been to strengthen the position of anti-Communist elements in Italy. (Memorandum of conversation; Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers)↩
  3. October 22.↩
  4. Footnote [7½ lines of text]not declassified.↩
  5. Reference is to the address by the President on August 24 to the annual convention of the American Bar Association in Philadelphia. The text is printed in Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1955, p. 802.↩
  6. Dulte 2 bears this typed signature.↩