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  3. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, South and Southeast Asia, Volume XV
  4. Document 106

106. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, June 24, 19581

Department of State, Washington , June 24, 1958

SUBJECT

  • Afghan-United States Relations
[Page 226]

PARTICIPANTS

  • United States
    • The Secretary
    • Mr. Robert Murphy, G
    • Mr. C. Douglas Dillon, W
    • Mr. William M. Rountree, NEA
    • Mr. Sheldon T. Mills, Ambassador of Afghanistan
    • Mr. Frederic Bartlett, SOA
    • Mr. Armin Meyer, SOA
    • Mr. Leon Poullada, SOA
    • Messrs. Smith and Bell, ICA
  • Afghanistan
    • Sardar Mohammed Daud, Prime Minister, Afghanistan
    • Mohammed Hashim Maiwandwal, Ambassador to the United States
    • Dr. Mohammad Yusuf, Minister of Mines and Industry
    • Mr. Abdul Rahman Pazhwak, Afghan Permanent Representative to the United Nations

The Secretary welcomed the Prime Minister and his party to the United States and expressed his high regard for Afghan desires to maintain their country’s independence. We are at all times willing to help Afghanistan to maintain its independence and are happy to extend our sympathetic assistance to Afghanistan’s economic and political aspirations.

The Prime Minister stated that Afghanistan has always defended its independence and freedom in spite of many hardships and problems. Afghanistan is a poor and backward country, and its problems are very large though its means are small. The Prime Minister expressed his personal gratitude and that of his people for the aid and assistance which the United States has extended. Although Afghanistan is a backward and remote country, the Afghan people would prefer to endure poverty than to surrender their pride. Afghanistan prizes its friendship for the United States more highly than it does the aid which it receives. To the Afghan, friendship has a spiritual value which transcends material benefits. Afghanistan’s friendship for the United States would continue whether or not it received aid from the United States.

The Prime Minister pointed out that Afghanistan has many economic problems and needs assistance from any friendly country willing to give it. It has always turned to the United States as its friend for assistance. “In turn,” the Prime Minister noted, “I wish you to understand that Afghanistan is your friend.”

The Secretary expressed his appreciation for the Prime Minister’s friendly sentiments and suggested that it would be useful for him to discuss specific economic problems with Mr. Smith and Mr. Dillon at the meeting to be held the following day.2

  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.89/6–2458. Confidential. Drafted by Poullada on June 25. Dulles and Daud also discussed Afghan-Soviet relations and Afghan-Pakistani relations. Separate memoranda of those conversations are printed infra and as Document 108.↩
  2. See Document 111.↩