Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Western Europe, Volume VII, Part 2

150. Telegram From Secretary of State Herter to the Department of State⁰

Paris, December 21, 1959, 4 p.m.

Cahto 14. Following is based on interpreter’s summary of President’s talk alone with de Gaulle at Elysee morning December 19. Conversation lasted 55 minutes:¹

President spoke first of his recent trip including visit to Tunisia.² De Gaulle said he felt French could reach agreement with Bourguiba on Bizerte and would eventually withdraw their ground garrison. He said that Bourguiba was tied to West and feared Algerians. He added French hoped they would be able to work out satisfactory agreement with Bourguiba.

De Gaulle said militarily situation in Algeria much improved. He still stood by his offer of free choice of three alternatives for Algerians—independence (“if they want to go we’ll let them go”), an Algerian Government in association with France, or integration with France. He added there was no point in French trying to force people to be French against their will. De Gaulle felt President’s whole trip has been extremely useful and that West should make a strong effort to coordinate policy on aid to underdeveloped countries, including offering possibility to Russians of participating in developing specific areas, e.g., the Nice Valley. He agreed with President we should not set up cumbersome new organizations for this purpose.

There was brief discussion of U.S. abstention in U.N. on the Algerian resolution.³ De Gaulle stated that he regretted it but understood it. President made quite plain this vote did not in any way imply we had departed from our support for de Gaulle’s offer of September 16.⁴ De Gaulle then said situation in U.N. would soon become serious. Within few years we would have thirty African states, twenty Moslem states and ten Communist states. President agreed and felt solution might lie in strengthening Security Council and perhaps abolishing veto. De Gaulle agreed.

Discussion then turned to NATO. Leak of General Twining’s speech was deplored by both.⁵ De Gaulle again suggested U.S.–U.K.-France hold secret discussions on general policy as secrecy with fifteen was impossible. Three should also consider planning not only for NATO area but to define policies toward Africa and other such questions.

De Gaulle said France regarded the Atlantic Alliance as essential. He felt it should be strengthened and in no way intended lessen France’s support for it. He added, however, that when Algerian war was over and French troops returned to the continent, and France was in possession of nuclear weapons, then command structure should be reviewed in order to give France more adequate place. De Gaulle said he did not especially want to have French officer as SACEUR. He felt it should be a U.S. officer in view of contribution which U.S. was making.

President noted Admiral Anderson had told him of close relations existing between his command and French Navy in Mediterranean.⁶

President then voiced concern at talk abroad in Europe concerning U.S. intentions to pull out or withdraw from Europe and NATO. President said this was untrue and he hoped that all concerned would take every opportunity to squelch this false idea and “divisive talk”.

Both Presidents expressed satisfaction at having this opportunity to be able to talk frankly together. There was brief discussion concerning Germany and difficulty of Adenauer’s position until 1961 election, in attempting to show any flexibility on Oder-Neisse frontier or on Berlin and internal political situation.

Conversation then concluded and it was indicated that it would be resumed later.

Herter

0. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 711.11–EI/12–2159. Secret. Herter was in Paris to attend the Ministerial Meeting of the NAC held December 15–17 and 22.
1. This conversation was held at 11:30 a.m. at the Elysée Palace. No memorandum of the conversation has been found. Eisenhower was in Paris to attend the meeting of the Western Heads of Government December 19–21 after his trip to Italy, the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa which began on December 4.
2. Eisenhower visited Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba at La Marsa on December 17.
3. The Afro-Asian resolution recommending negotiations between Algeria and France toward a peaceful solution of the conflict failed to pass the U.N. General Assembly on December 12 by a vote of 35 to 18, with the United States and 27 other countries abstaining.
4. See footnote 5, Document 130.
5. In Twining’s remarks to the Military Committee of NATO on December 10, he argued that the NATO countries that had policies of noncooperation in certain areas were weakening the entire defense of NATO, thereby increasing the possibility of war; see Part 1, Document 233.
6. No record of this conversation has been found.