189. Memorandum of the Conversation at the President’s Dinner, President’s Villa, Geneva, July 18, 1955, 8:30 p.m.1
During a dinner tonight, I told Khrushchev2 that I had been absent from Moscow for over a month and that I had heard there had been wide-spread rumors that he would take over the Premier-ship in addition to his party duties after the Geneva Conference. Khrushchev said he had heard these rumors which involved Bulganin replacing Molotov at the Foreign Office and another rumor that he, Khrushchev, was to take over the Ministry of Agriculture. He said there was no truth whatsoever in either of these rumors.
I said to him there had been a good deal of discussion about the importance of trust and confidence already at the conference and that I was, therefore, prepared to accept his word but that it would be very unfortunate if it turned out otherwise adding that, of course, I would not wish to pry into Soviet internal affairs.
He replied he could only repeat there was no truth in regard to these rumors. It was, however, interesting that they had been brought very specifically to his attention.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 396.1–GE/7–2355. Top Secret. Drafted by Bohlen on July 23. For three other accounts of the dinner conversations, see Document 187, Supra, and infra.↩
- Bohlen was seated between Khrushchev and Merchant to the right of Secretary Dulles at the table.↩
- Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩