79. Memorandum of Conference With President Eisenhower0
OTHERS PRESENT
- Secretary Dulles
- Secretary Herter
- Mr. Greene
- Mr. Hagerty
- General Goodpaster
- Major Eisenhower
[Here follows discussion of unrelated matters.]
The discussion then proceeded to the subject of General De Gaulle. Secretary Dulles desired to point out that De Gaulle is becoming increasingly troublesome. To this the President offered the warning that De Gaulle is capable of the most extraordinary actions. He recalled an instance during World War II in which De Gaulle had informed the President (then Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Forces) that he (de Gaulle) would remove all French forces from SHAEF command. The President had, in the presence of Churchill, informed De Gaulle that such removal would be satisfactory since the Americans and British would win the war anyway. However, De Gaulle could expect not another round of ammunition nor support of any kind, and would therefore be reduced to impotency. This attitude is not recommended, of course, for adoption by the State Department under present circumstances, particularly in the light of de Gaulle’s present position of power and influence. It is offered only as illustration of the type of action that De Gaulle is capable of. The President added to watch out for him.
[Here follows discussion of unrelated matters.]
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, DDE Diaries. Top Secret. Drafted by John S.D. Eisenhower on December 15.↩