164. Diary Entry by the Ambassador to Germany (Bruce)0
The Chief of Protocol, von Braun, came to fetch us, and we arrived at the Palais Schaumburg at four o’clock. Foster, Livie 1 and myself went into the Chancellor’s office for a private meeting with von Brentano and himself, Weber acting as interpreter. The Chancellor started immediately on the proposed Macmillan trip to Moscow, saying it had, of course, to be accepted as a fait accompli, but he had serious apprehensions as to its consequences. He referred to notes covering a conversation with Kit Steel at the time the latter delivered Macmillan’s letter on the subject. Steel had, in effect, remarked on the ultimate necessity of negotiations between the GDR and Federal Republic and recognition of the GDR. Since Adenauer considered Steel a thoroughly trained and loyal diplomat, he could not but think he was faithfully expressing views held by his Foreign Office. The Chancellor thought he would write to Macmillan and ask for an explanation.
Dulles told him that President Eisenhower and himself both were skeptical over the potential usefulness of Macmillan’s visit to the Soviet Union, and fearful of even his most carefully guarded comments being misconstrued. However, there was nothing to be done about it, and one must hope for the best. The Chancellor thought the primary motive of the trip was to gather prestige for domestic election application in England.
Foster outlined the substance of his talks in London and Paris where he had emphasized the firmness of the American position on Berlin.
[Here follows unrelated material.]
- Source: Department of State, Bruce Diaries: Lot 64 D 327. Secret. For another account of this meeting and the one that followed, see Adenauer, Erinnerungen, pp. 475–481. A German memorandum of this meeting, 115–12/59, prepared by Weber, is in Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 64 D 560, CF 1199.↩
- Livingston Merchant.↩