Office of the Historian

47. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the Secretary of State and the President’s Press Secretary (Hagerty), Washington, May 13, 1958, 3 p.m.1

Washington, May 13, 1958, 3 p.m.

TELEPHONE CALL TO MR HAGERTY

The Sec said we are calling in the Venezuelan Chargé.2 He said we just had a telephone call and don’t know how we are going to get him out. H asked if the Pres knew—ok to tell him? The Sec said yes. The Sec said Herter has been in touch with White and are looking into the possibility of sending a helicopter in but the Sec does not think it is a good place to put one in. H asked if State is saying this fellow is coming in and the Sec said H can.3

Andy Goodpaster said the Pres said to say if Venezuela can’t guarantee the safety of the VP they should ask us to do it.

  1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, White House Telephone Conversations. Transcribed by Bernau.↩
  2. Eduardo Acosta.↩
  3. Secretary Dulles spoke with the President at 4:01 p.m. that afternoon and informed him of the results of his discussion with the Venezuelan Chargé. Bernau’s transcript of this telephone conversation reads in part as follows: “The Sec said he talked with the Chargé but he knows nothing and the Sec said he spoke on the Pres’ behalf and his own to say we expected the Govt to do everything possible to protect the VP of the US and his wife who were the invited guests of the Venezuelan Govt and that if they did not have the will or capacity to do so we would want to know it in a hurry to concert on further measures on it.” (Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, White House Telephone Conversations)↩