160. Letter From Secretary of State Dulles to Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Spaak 0
My Dear Friend Spaak : I have reread several times your statesmanlike speech at Boston. I have put a copy in the hands of President Eisenhower for him to read.1 It is significant in relation to the De Gaulle thinking.
I feel that some of your reflections are more pertinent to the European members of NATO than to the United States. The United States, at least in recent years, has seen the problem as world-wide and has attempted to deal with it on this basis. I recall that in 1949, when the North Atlantic Treaty was before the United States Senate, I, then a private citizen, [Page 364] testified in relation to it before the Foreign Relations Committee.2 I pointed out then the great danger in drawing geographical lines to meet a threat that was world-wide. I expressed fear that doing this would encourage the Communists “to feel that they can do anything they like in the rest of the world” and that the Pact might “lead to aggression outside of those areas, which may make war more likely. That”, I said, “is the big problem, as I see it: the political problem that flows from the Pact.... While we decrease the risk of war from events within the Atlantic area, we may increase the risk of war from events outside of those areas”.3 Actually, in a year the Korean War began.
I have no doubt whatever that today it is essential to make what you call a reappraisal of NATO to adapt it to current Communist offensives.
As you know, the President and I suggested at the December 1957 meeting of NATO the establishment of liaison with other groupings.4 I am not sure that that is the answer. But also I doubt that the answer is to be found in General De Gaulle’s suggestion; or in attempting to make NATO into a means of reincarnating Western dominance of the world. I do not see clearly how we should move. But I do feel that you and General De Gaulle have raised issues which call for a response which is positive and which may well become the most critical matter to be dealt with in the next Ministerial meeting in December.
If you have any further thoughts on this matter, I would appreciate having them at this time when we are giving thought on how to answer General De Gaulle.5
Sincerely yours,
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 740.5/10–1058. Personal and Confidential. Drafted by Dulles and cleared by Elbrick. In a covering note attached to this letter, Dulles asked Burgess to deliver this letter to Spaak unless he had objections. Dulles added: “I think it would be well if you emphasize to him the desirability of treating my letter as personal and not one to be dealt with as an International Staff matter. It would be unfortunate if knowledge of my letter were at this stage to reach other governments.” A handwritten notation on this note says that the letter was sent to Paris on October 11.↩
- See footnote 1, Document 157. No record of President Eisenhower’s receipt of a copy of Spaak’s speech has been found.↩
- Dulles’ testimony on May 4, 1949, is printed in North Atlantic Treaty: Hearings Before the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate, 81st Congress, 1st Session, pt. 2, pp. 339–376.↩
- Ellipsis in the source text.↩
- Dulles’ statement on December 16, 1957, is printed in Department of State Bulletin, January 6, 1958, p. 10.↩
- In Polto 986 from Paris, October 15, Burgess reported that he delivered Dulles’ letter to Spaak the previous night. “He was appreciative and said it fitted in with his own thoughts.” Spaak also showed Burgess the first draft of his response to De Gaulle’s proposal, which Burgess called a “generally good supporting examination by NATO within present charter of problems of wider area but vigorously opposed to the triumvirate.” Spaak promised Burgess a copy of this draft. (Department of State, Central Files, 740.5/10–1558) Burgess subsequently transmitted this draft letter (in French) from Spaak to De Gaulle in Polto 991 from Paris, October 15. (ibid.) No other draft of Spaak’s reply to De Gaulle has been found, but Spaak later summarized his response, October 15, in his memoirs. He added that De Gaulle did not respond to this reply. (Spaak, Memoirs, pp. 315–318)↩
- Printed from a copy that bears this stamped signature.↩