193. Memorandum of a Conference With the President, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York, September 27, 1960, 9 a.m.1
OTHERS PRESENT
- Prime Minister Macmillan
- Secretary Herter, Lord Home
- Mr. de Zulueta, General Goodpaster
At 9 AM, after the President and Prime Minister Macmillan had had breakfast alone, the others joined for an hour’s discussion.
[Here follows discussion of unrelated subjects.]
The Prime Minister then returned to the subject of the UN General Assembly. He said that the mood seems to be changing. There is a feeling that Khrushchev has again overplayed his hand. The President interjected that the luncheon given by Cyrus Eaton for Khrushchev was about as despicable a thing as he knew of.2 Mr. Herter said that Hammarskjold has told him that it begins to look as though the United Nations had imported from the Congo some of the political chaos that now exists there. The President observed that after Khrushchev, Castro and their associates go home, the United Nations discussions may take a better turn. He said that Nasser had told him he did not want to destroy the UN.3
[Here follows discussion of unrelated subjects.]
Lord Home said that he sees some signs that the neutral or uncommitted countries are beginning to get rather touchy about the course of the General Assembly debate. They are being treated like pawns. The Soviets want to take them into the Communist camp and the West of course is trying to urge them to be free and democratic. There is growing resentment of both of these approaches but at the same time we cannot just say that we will leave them to find their own salvation. The President said one reason for his suggestion for a regional grouping in Africa was to keep out big-power intervention and to discourage the building up of large armaments on the part of these countries. Such a grouping and limitation of arms would mean there would be neutrality among these countries and between this grouping [Page 362] and the major powers. He said these leaders have stressed to him that they want “no Communist domination” but think that they will be skillful enough to accept Communist aid and still avoid this. He commented that the African who has impressed him the most so far is President Olympio of Togo—a modest, quiet-spoken, intelligent man.4
The Prime Minister asked how the President found Nehru, commenting that Nehru seemed somewhat “down” and dejected to him.5 The President said he tried everything with Nehru, but Nehru tended to lapse into long silences. (The President said he was accustomed to this from his meeting with Nehru at Camp David, and was not troubled by it.) Nehru stressed how bad Indian relations with China are becoming over the territorial dispute in the northeastern area. Nehru put little importance on the western disputed area, which is remote and mountainous. Mr. Herter observed that Nehru seemed somewhat confused as to what his own role might best be in the circumstances of this General Assembly. The President said that Nehru had expressed strong support for the UN. Nasser had done the same. Nkrumah has also done this6 but had gone out forty-five minutes later and made a speech at the UN supporting Khrushchev.
The Prime Minister said that all these countries support the UN as do we. All of us favor peace. The question is how to get peace with justice, when many of these countries are violating the rights of others.
[Here follows discussion of unrelated subjects.]
As the meeting broke up Lord Home said the First Secretary of the Nigerian delegation had come to him to say that he is finding it impossible to get a place to live in New York because of his color. Mr. Herter said this problem is a terribly difficult one. The President said it should be taken up with Mayor Wagner and Police Commissioner Kennedy at once.
Brigadier General, USA
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Eisenhower Diaries, Staff Notes—September 1960 (1). Secret. For Eisenhower’s account of this conversation, see Waging Peace, 1956–1961, pp. 585–586.↩
- On September 26, U.S. industrialist Cyrus Eaton hosted a private luncheon for Khrushchev, his party, and over 100 U.S. and Canadian bankers and industrialists in order to promote trade between North America and the Soviet Union.↩
- A memorandum of Eisenhower’s September 26 conversation with Nasser, SecDel/MC/115, is in Washington National Records Center, RG 59, Conference Files: FRC 83–0068, CF 1767.↩
- A memorandum of this September 23 conversation, SecDel/MC/62, is ibid., CF 1766.↩
- See Document 191.↩
- A memorandum of Eisenhower’s September 22 conversation with Nkrumah, SecDel/MC/60, is in Washington National Records Center, RG 59, Conference Files: FRC 83–0068, CF 1766. Regarding Nkrumah’s speech, see footnote 2, Document 190.↩