Office of the Historian

10. Letter From the Secretary of State to the President1

Manila, March 13, 1958.

Dear Mr. President: We have now finished the SEATO aspect of the trip and our Manila visit except for a final dinner being given tonight by President Garcia. I may have a chance at the dinner to finalize the date for his visit to Washington.2

Everything went extremely well at the SEATO meeting and the series of talks made in closed session by the foreign ministers was of particularly high character and marked this meeting of the Council as superior in my opinion to any yet held.

Following the meeting I had a highly confidential talk with Lloyd and Casey about the situation in Indonesia. It did not produce any very bright or constructive ideas but was I think useful particularly in giving Casey, who was quite jittery on this subject, some idea of our own concern and of our own activity.

Our plane, while resting here at Manila, lost an engine in some strange way, so that we will go on to Taipei tomorrow morning in a C54, hoping that a substitute can be installed and the Constellation can pick us up somewhere as we turn from Taipei eastward.

Doug MacArthur is here and seems to be in fine shape. I asked him to come so that we could have a quiet talk together about the situation in Japan and Okinawa, which I think requires some of the enlightened statesmanship of which we often talk.

Your prayers with reference to the communiqué were answered,3 and after three nerve-wracking hours, a reasonably satisfactory agreement was reached. At least it was not as bad as when we made the communiqué at Bermuda with Winston and Laniel.4

Faithfully yours,

Foster5
  1. Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 63 D 123, CF 991. Secret; Priority. Transmitted in Dulte 8, which is the source text, with the note: “Eyes only Acting Secretary for President from Secretary.” Dulte 8 was drafted by Dulles.↩
  2. This visit took place June 17–20.↩
  3. In Tedul 13 to Manila, March 12, marked “For Secretary from President” and concerned mainly with arrangements for Garcia’s visit, the President concluded: “With warm regards and my prayers that your patience will outlast the preparation of the communiqué.” (Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 63 D 123, CF 991)↩
  4. Reference is to the tripartite meeting of heads of government held in Bermuda December 4–8, 1953, attended by President Eisenhower, British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill, and French Prime Minister Joseph Laniel.↩
  5. Dulte 8 bears this typed signature.↩