Office of the Historian

UR–13. Memorandum of a Conversation1

US/MC/32
Montevideo, March 2, 1960

PARTICIPANTS

  • United States

    • The President
    • Ambassador Robert F. Woodward
    • Major John Eisenhower
    • Colonel Vernon Walters

  • Uruguay

    • Senator Luis BATLLE Berres
    • Deputy Jorge BATLLE Ibañez
    • Sr. Luis BATLLE Ibañez

SUBJECT

  • Conversation During Courtesy Call of Senator (former President) Luis BATLLE Berres

Senator Luis BATLLE Berres, accompanied by his two sons, Jorge Batlle Ibañez (who is now a Deputy in the Uruguayan Chamber of Deputies and the principal administrative manager of the Colorado List 15 newspaper ACCION) and Luis Batlle Ibañez (who is a concert pianist just beginning his career) called on President Eisenhower on March 2 at a few minutes past 9:00 p.m. and talked with the President for about 20 minutes, in the company of Ambassador Robert F. Woodward; Major John Eisenhower; and Colonel Vernon Walters, the President’s interpreter. Senator Batlle inquired about the health of Mrs. Eisenhower and expressed regret that she had not been able to make the visit to Uruguay and the other countries of South America. President Eisenhower inquired about Sra. de Batlle and recalled the pleasant visit that he had received from former President Batlle and his wife and two sons at the White House in 1955. The President and Senator Batlle reminisced briefly [Facsimile Page 2] about Senator Batlle’s visit to the United States.2 President Eisenhower remarked on the very warm reception that he had received from the Uruguayan people during the afternoon, and then Senator Batlle commented apologetically about the irresponsible actions of a very small number of university students. President Eisenhower replied that it was apparent that the great majority of the Uruguayans who greeted him were very friendly and that he was very appreciative of this warm welcome. He said that he did not consider the student demonstrations of any significance and that he was not worried about the kind of bombs (tar bombs) which the students were rumored to be preparing. He alluded, good-humoredly, to the fact that he had been exposed to more dangerous bombs than these without ill effects.

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President Eisenhower commented that those minor criticisms were nothing as compared with the ones that he has been receiving from Cuba, and he said that this situation poses a serious problem for the United States. Senator Batlle said that while Fidel CASTRO had great prestige throughout Latin America as a revolutionist, he had lost that prestige as a governor. He repeated this observation three times, wishing to emphasize it. In the course of emphasizing this point, he said that the countries of South America could not permit communism to gain control in Cuba. The President commented that this is really a problem for the Organization of American States, and the countries of the Western Hemisphere as a whole. After restarting his views in various ways, which appeared to be entirely critical of the Cuban Government, Senator Batlle departed.

  1. Source: Department of State, Conference Files, Lot 64 D 559, OF 1607. Official Use Only. Drafted by Ambassador Woodward, and approved in the White House on March 22. Information on the source text indicates that the conversation took place in the U.S. Embassy residence at 9:00 a.m.↩
  2. Senator Batlle Berres, who had been President of Uruguay, March 1, 1955, to March 1, 1956, visited the United States, December 5–8, 1955. For documentation on his visit, see↩