Office of the Historian

391. Memorandum of Conversation0

May 11, 1960.

SUBJECT

  • Call of Cardinal Agagianian1

PARTICIPANTS

  • Cardinal Agagianian
  • Monsignor Paul Tanner, Secretary General of the National Catholic Welfare Conference
  • Mr. Herman Burns, Legal Department, National Catholic Welfare Conference
  • Father Manning, the Cardinal’s Secretary
  • Department of State
    • The Secretary
    • WE—Mr. Wells Stabler

The Cardinal expressed his appreciation for being received by the Secretary, particularly on the eve of the Summit Conference. He wanted the Secretary to know that the prayers and best wishes of the Pope and of the Catholic Church were with the President and the Secretary during the Summit Meeting. While the Vatican could be sure of the loyalty and steadfastness of the United States at the Summit, it was regrettable that no such view could be had of the Soviet Union. The Cardinal said that it was his opinion that the moral and theoretical force of Communism had declined in the world. However, the materialistic force of the Soviet Union through the Red Armed Forces still remained an important element in influencing world opinion.

The Secretary said that the Summit Meeting contained a great many uncertainties. We could not be sure what the outcome would be, but we hoped that the expectations of the world would not be too high.

Turning to the Near East the Cardinal said that the greatest importance would be attached to the continued freedom and independence of Lebanon. This country was of great value to the western position in the Middle East. He paid high tribute to the action taken by the United States in 1958.

Finally the Cardinal said that when he talked with the Pope in Rome on May 10 the Pope had recalled with greatest pleasure and [Page 889] satisfaction the visit which had been paid to him last December by the President.2 The Secretary said he would convey this to the President.

  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 396.1–PA/5–1160. Confidential. Drafted by Stabler and approved in S on May 17.↩
  2. Agagianian was the Cardinal Prefect in charge of relations with the Eastern Church.↩
  3. See Document 390.↩