58. Editorial Note
On October 13, Secretary of State Dulles discussed the de Gaulle memorandum with President Eisenhower. Dulles suggested it might be necessary to meet in Washington with the British and French about the memorandum. In his October 13 memorandum of this conversation, Dulles wrote: “The President felt this would be all right if it were held at a sub-Secretary of State level. He also thought it would be important to make it clear in advance to Adenauer and to the Italians that the meeting [Page 100] was for the purpose of discussing the plan and was not the beginning of carrying into effect the de Gaulle plan.” (Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers)
On October 15, Dulles sent the President a draft of a reply to de Gaulle’s September 17 letter and memorandum. In his covering memorandum, Dulles wrote the President that the draft incorporated the suggestion for informal tripartite discussions in Washington in the near future and that the reply had been discussed with Lord Hood, Minister of the British Embassy. Dulles reported that the British planned to send a similar reply, possibly within the week. A typed notation at the end of this memorandum reads: “Foster, I agree we should not do this 3 power business unless we have to. DE” (Ibid., Project Clean Up, France)
On October 16, Dulles telephoned the President to say that since sending him the draft reply to de Gaulle, he had talked with General Alfred M. Gruenther, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO Forces in Europe, and John J. McCloy, Chairman of the Board of Chase Manhattan Bank, who strongly opposed even preliminary discussions about tripartite talks. The Secretary told the President he himself doubted whether it was wise to have these talks. The President suggested that the three delegates discuss the subject at a U.N. dinner but Dulles indicated that it would have to be done in Washington. (Ibid., Dulles Papers, General Telephone Conversations)
On October 17, Dulles left Washington to attend the funeral of Pope Pius XII in Rome on October 18 and, while in Rome, he had discussions with Prime Minister Fanfani of Italy, Foreign Ministers Couve de Murville and von Brentano, and Foreign Secretary Lloyd. On October 19, he flew to London for consultation with British officials and from there, he went to Taiwan, returning to Washington on October 23.
On October 20, while en route to Taiwan, Dulles wrote a letter to Adenauer in which he acknowledged that de Gaulle’s proposals for a fundamental change in the organization of NATO might have caused the Chancellor deep concern. Dulles informed the Chancellor that “the best interim move may be a willingness to let the French Ambassador at Washington expound to one of my associates and to the UK Ambassador at Washington what his thoughts are. Then I hope this particular approach could be dropped in favor of a broader study on how further to improve NATO, a problem in which we all have deep concern.” (Telegram 803 to Bonn, October 20; Department of State, Central Files, 740.5/10–2058)
On October 20, Eisenhower sent his reply to de Gaulle (Document 63). It was identical to the draft prepared in the Bureau of European Affairs that Dulles sent him except that the reference to informal exploratory discussions 2 weeks hence was omitted.