213. Memorandum From Acting Secretary of State Ball to President Kennedy 1
SUBJECT
- U Thant Visit to Washington
While talking with U Thant, Acting Secretary General of the United Nations, in April Assistant Secretary Cleveland expressed the hope that he would come to Washington for a visit during the summer. Subsequently U Thant indicated to Governor Stevenson that he would like to come to Washington but would expect a formal invitation from Governor Stevenson.
I believe it would be desirable for you to receive him in Washington for a brief visit early in September before the General Assembly opens for the following reasons:
- 1.
- U Thant has already visited several European capitals, including London, Dublin, Oslo and Paris, this summer and plans to visit [Page 456] Moscow, Warsaw, Prague and Vienna from August 24 through September 4, 1962. A visit to Washington would be an appropriate and desirable conclusion to his tours of major European capitals.
- 2.
- A Thant visit would permit a useful exchange of views with him both on his European trips and on the forthcoming session of his General Assembly.
- 3.
- No Secretary General of the United Nations has visited the White House since May, 1953 (Hammarskjold).2
Receiving U Thant would demonstrate your continued personal interest in the United Nations as well as your satisfaction with the role he has played as Acting Secretary General. U Thant may be elected this fall to the full five year term of Secretary General of the United Nations which begins in April, 1963, although he has not yet admitted that he is even a contender for that position. From our point of view, Thant has done a good job so far and it would be difficult to find a better man who could be elected Secretary General at this juncture of world affairs.
I therefore recommend that you issue an invitation for U Thant to visit Washington, preferably on September 10 or 11, 1962. I also recommend that you host a small luncheon for Thant during his visit to Washington and that you agree to meet with him for about one hour beginning at 4:00 p.m. on the day of his visit.
- Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1960–63, 310/7–2162. Confidential. Drafted by Alfred E. Wellons on July 20 (retyped in S/S on July 21); cleared by Francis E. Meloy, Jr., Samuel L. King, Cleveland, and Sisco. An attached biographical sketch of U Thant is not printed.↩
- This meeting with President Eisenhower took place on May 8, 1953.↩
- Printed from a copy that indicates that Ball signed the original.↩