Office of the Historian

142. Memorandum of Telephone Conversation Between Secretary of State Herter and the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Merchant)0

July 21, 1960, 6:45 p.m.1

Mr. Merchant telephoned with regard to a conversation he had just had with Ambassador Burden requesting approval as a result of Burden’s talk with Timberlake on two items: 1) authorization to use US Airforce aircraft to ferry Belgian troops from Leopoldville to their base at Kitona. Mr. Merchant said Lumumba has given his approval [Page 344] and Bunche has talked to Timberlake, who has determined that it is feasible. The Secretary approved if it is done at the request of the UN. 2) Lumumba wants to fly to NY to address the SC and Timberlake and Bunche both feel it is important he arrive on an American aircraft, either Pan American or military. Mr. Merchant said he, Mr. Bohlen and Mr. Penfield had discussed this and feel there is nothing in it for us and it would be more to our advantage if he came by Soviet plane. The Secretary agreed we should not facilitate Lumumba travel; that if he can get his own seat on a Pan American plane without US Government intervention with PanAm that is all right. The Secretary said we should take the line that we have no authority to do anything about commercial airlines, and that to make it possible on anything else would make us not be doing our UN job in getting troops airlifted into the Congo. Mr. Merchant said he would call Amb. Burden back and advise him of the decisions.

  1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Herter Papers, Telephone Conversations. No classification marking. Prepared by the Secretary’s staff, this document also includes memoranda of some of his other telephone conversations that day.↩
  2. The Secretary was in New York; Merchant was in Washington.↩