332. Memorandum of a Conversation, White House, Washington, October 25, 1957, 2:05–2:32 p.m.1

MTW MC–16

SUBJECT

  • NATO Heads of Government Meeting

PARTICIPANTS

  • The President
  • Secretary Dulles
  • Prime Minister Macmillan
  • Mr. Selwyn Lloyd, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
  • Mr. Paul-Henri Spaak, Secretary-General of NATO

After general discussion by the President and Macmillan indicating their purpose to support NATO, I pointed out that there were two points in the communiqué where we wished to bring in Mr. Spaak if he agreed. I then showed him a draft of the communiqué. Mr. Spaak read this and in conclusion said that it was a fine statement.

Mr. Macmillan then recalled that he had mentioned to Mr. Spaak that it might be desirable to invite Heads of Government to the December Meeting of NATO. Mr. Spaak said that he would like to do this if the President would accept and he felt certain that if the President would accept, all the other Heads of Government would accept. The President said he thought this idea would appeal to him. Of course, it would depend a great deal upon what the others wished. He would not want to embarrass them by indicating a desire to come unless it was first known that the others would want him to come and would themselves want to come. The President mentioned that such a meeting might give a lift to NATO at an important juncture, and that he would be disposed to accede to the suggestion if it were heartily made by the others. I mentioned that I felt that in addition to giving a moral boost the presence of the Heads of Government would almost compel constructive thinking and planning in terms of the kind of thinking we had spoken of in our communiqué. Mr. Spaak said that he would send a cable tonight to Paris and asked if he could have our cable facilities. We assured him that he could. (I had previously broached this subject with Spaak in driving him to the White House for his luncheon with [Page 836] the President, introducing the subject by saying that Mr. Macmillan had told me that he and Spaak had discussed it.)2

John Foster Dulles 3
  1. Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 62 D181, CF 926. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Dulles. The time of the meeting is taken from the President’s Appointment Book. (Eisenhower Library, President’s Appointment Book) This memorandum was circulated only to Whitney, Murphy, Reinhardt, Gerard C. Smith, and Elbrick on October 25.
  2. See Document 322.
  3. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.