149. Telegram From the Embassy in France to the Department of State0

Dulte 19. Eyes Only Acting Secretary for President from Secretary.

Dear Mr. President: I am now back in Paris after a heavy day yesterday which started out in Copenhagen, included several hours in Berlin and then dinner in Paris with Houghton and Norstad.

I feel that our NATO declaration1 was good and in line with our thinking. Contrary to some press reactions the declaration took this form not under any pressure from me but quite spontaneously. If there was any pressure it came from Spaak.

Preceding the adoption of the declaration there was discussion about Iceland which indicated obvious tension. I hope that the result of the discussion will be that Iceland will move somewhat more deliberately and with less haste than had been planned.

This Iceland problem and the problem of maintaining the disarmament package unbroken were the two areas where there was difference underlying the unanimity expressed in the declaration.

The Berlin experience was very moving. The enthusiasm and good will of the Berlin people were clearly in evidence and the proceedings in [Page 350] the Rathaus at which speeches were made by the governing Mayor, the President of the Berlin Senate and myself were impressive.2 It ended with us all standing in silence while the Freedom Bell was tolled. My reaffirmation of the Berlin Declaration of 1954 and the statement that it was made with your personal authority evoked extended applause.

On the flight from Berlin to Paris I studied a memorandum on disarmament which Adenauer had prepared for me giving his views.3 It shows I fear a rather disturbing lack of grasp of the realities of the problem. There is, I gather from Bruce, considerable dissension within the Cabinet on this matter and the Chanceller is somewhat a minority of one.4 However, in his case one overshadows the many.

Norstad has left for the Minnesota celebration which I shall join on Sunday.5 We had however a good talk last night about his problems.6

I am now about to attend our regional conference of Ambassadors7 with an interlude of a luncheon with Pineau which I fear will be more conducive to sleep than to work during the afternoon.

Faithfully yours, Foster.

Dulles
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762A.00/5–958. Secret. Another copy of this telegram bears the initials “DE” in the President’s handwriting. (Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Dulles–Herter Series)
  2. For text of the final communiqué issued on May 7, see Department of State Bulletin, May 26, 1958, pp. 850–851.
  3. Documentation on Dulles’ visit to Berlin on May 8 is in Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 63 D 123, CF 1014.
  4. Reference is apparently to a memorandum prepared by Chancellor Konrad Adenauer of his conversation with David K.E. Bruce, Ambassador to Germany, on May 6. (Department of State, Central Files, 396.1/5–658)
  5. Bruce presumably briefed Dulles on the views of the German Government during the Secretary’s visit to Berlin, but no record of their conversation has been found.
  6. Dulles attended the centennial celebration of Minnesota statehood beginning on May 11.
  7. No record of this conversation has been found.
  8. See Document 21.