291. Memorandum of Conference With President Eisenhower 0
OTHERS PRESENT
- Ambassador Elbrick
- Colonel Eisenhower
The meeting opened with a discussion of the election returns, after which Ambassador Elbrick gave the President the greetings of Dr. Salazar. [2–1/2 lines of source text not declassified] Salazar had been a professor of economics and had told the President in a visit some ten years ago that he had accepted the job of dictator only with reluctance.
[1–1/2 lines of source text not declassified] Salazar’s big problem now is retention of African colonies, particularly Angola. Angola is the only sector which keeps the Portuguese balance of payments situation sound. No immediate difficulty is being expected, but much is anticipated. To the President’s question, the Ambassador said the Portuguese enclave in India represents nothing but a drain on their resources. However, the Portuguese are reluctant to give it up for fear of setting off a chain reaction in other colonies.
The President told of a talk he had had with the British some years back. He had advised Winston Churchill that the British should notify all remaining colonies that in the space of twenty years they will be required to determine their own fate. In the meantime, the British should train these colonies to administer themselves. At the end of that time each individual colony should determine what its relationship to Britain should be, both economically and politically. The President is of the opinion that such an approach would maintain far closer ties between Britain and her colonies than any effort to maintain these ties by force. The President added that this idea had jolted Winston Churchill very considerably. The President recommended that the Ambassador broach this idea to Salazar. The Ambassador said that Salazar is aware of our views on this matter but that he would mention it to him again.
The President said that obviously Portugal is not strong enough to hold down large territories with her meager population of two million. He cited the relationship between Britain and India at the present time. Trade between these countries is more lucrative to Britain than it ever was during the days of the empire. The President said sometimes it is necessary to make a virtue of necessity.
[Page 646]The Ambassador said Salazar is afraid of mentioning the word “independence” to any territories because once the idea of independence is planted in the minds of the people, they forget all about the conditions under which this independence was offered. The President told of his conversation a year ago September with members of the French Community in Paris,1 among whom was Prime Minister Youlou of the Congo Republic. These leaders of the French Community admitted that their only interest in independence was to achieve a vote for each country in the UN. [2 lines of source text not declassified]
The Ambassador said he is enjoying his tour in Lisbon very much and has had a chance to travel to Black Africa. The President said he might have done so himself had the Vice President been elected President. However, were he to make a trip to Africa now, it would look as if he were asking one last round of applause. He nurses a private ambition to visit Nigeria, which is the largest of the African States and he also feels it desirable to do something to improve the outlook of Tubman, in Liberia. He admitted, however, that such a trip is now withdrawn from consideration.
The Ambassador said he wished the President could make the trip and could drop off in Lisbon again. He observed, however, that he is uncertain whether he will be in Lisbon himself very long. The President said he did not believe a new Administration would change career Ambassadors very much for the mere purpose of change. In this connection he hoped that the new Administration would retain Under Secretary Merchant and Under Secretary Henderson on the “Permanent Under Secretary” concept. He said that had anything happened to Secretary Herter, he himself had had three men in mind who might replace him, of which Secretary Merchant was one.
After further amenities, the meeting came to an end.