326. Editorial Note

In telegram 1360 to Mexico City, January 20, Assistant Secretary Rubottom informed Ambassador Hill that “President has stated he would be pleased to accept invitation of Lopez Mateos for a visit to Mexico. April–May period would be difficult for him and he is desirous of having such a meeting before the end of February if that is convenient for the Mexican President. He would prefer either Monterrey or Chihuahua as a meeting place.” (Department of State, Central Files, 711.11–EI/1–2059) In telegram 1393 to Mexico City, January 24, Rubottom authorized Hill to inform the Government of Mexico that President Eisenhower had agreed to visit Acapulco February 19–20. (Ibid., 711.11–EI/1–2359)

In a memorandum of conversation dated January 26, Dulles reported on a discussion with Eisenhower in part as follows:

“The President spoke of the prospective Mexico trip. He wanted to be sure of the dates. I confirmed them as being the 19th and 20th of February. The President asked what the plans were. I said I did not know but from the White House on the telephone with Mr. Rubottom found that the thought was that the President should arrive in the early afternoon of the 19th and spend the night and all day the 20th, returning on the morning of the 21st. The President wondered what he and the President of Mexico would find to talk about all that time. I said that if it was agreeable to the President I did not myself plan to go as I had only recently been to Mexico City for the Presidential Inauguration. He said this was all right so long as it was made quite clear in the original announcement that this was entirely in the nature of an ‘informal call’ and that business was not to be transacted.

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“I said I was not aware of any particular problems between our countries. Most of the matters dealt with at the White Sulphur [Springs] Conference had been disposed of. There was, of course, the lead-zinc matter, but Mexico seemed rather reasonable on this subject.” (Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Meetings with the President)

According to a memorandum dated January 26, the President and the Secretary of State continued their discussion of the proposed Mexico trip by telephone that day. The memorandum stated:

“The President called the Secretary of State several times about the ‘funny way’ the Mexican government was handling the business of the President’s desire to meet informally with the new President of Mexico. He said that in the back of his mind he cannot feel that there has not been something gone awry. He feels the new President took his suggest[ion] almost as a request for an invitation. He said some of the ‘state Department boys’ can get so enthusiastic they give an erroneous understanding. He wants the American Ambassador to make clear that the President is not being a salesman. All he is trying to do is to be polite. He wants it made perfectly clear that we are not pushing this visit—and that our suggestion is that it should be very informal and personal so we could get acquainted.

“He said he would take a few Aides and a secretary—and of course he would want Rubottom.

“In a previous telephone call, the President told the Secretary that the way the thing had been handled he felt he was being considered a ‘captive’ of the State Department.” (Ibid., DDE Diaries)