<--PREV Doc #1224  |  Memorial Commission Home Page  |  Second Term Table of Contents  |  Presidential Papers Home Page  |  Doc#  |  NEXT--> Doc #1226 Document #1225; July 2, 1959 To Philip Young Series: EM, AWF, Name Series The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, Volume XX - The Presidency: Keeping the Peace Part VII: Berlin and the Chance for a Summit; March 1959 to August 1959 Chapter 18: "These extremist approaches"   Dear Phil: Thanks for your candid appraisal of the new Embassy in The Hague.1 I have the utmost confidence that you and Faith will somehow produce the furniture necessary properly to impress your guests at the time of the public opening. But I will admit that, whenever I hear of them, some of the peculiarities of operation of the State Department puzzle me.2 As always, I enjoyed this latest chapter in the saga of Philip Young, diplomat. With warm regard, As ever P.S. I, too, will want to be guided by Chris Herter’s recommendation as to whether or not I should see Luns with you when you are here; of course, I like him personally and am always glad of an opportunity to talk to him.3 1 The new embassy building, which was to open to the public on July 4, was "a most controversial building of extreme modern design," Young had written, "set down plunk in the middle of the oldest, most traditional part of The Hague." Although the Dutch did not object to modern architecture, he told Eisenhower, they were concerned about the building’s proximity to older buildings in the area. "I must say I have great sympathy with the Dutch point of view on this, and it is a very difficult thing to explain" (Young to Eisenhower, June 26, 1959, AWF/N). 2 Young had told Eisenhower that although the building had been under construction for two years, the State Department had only recently awarded the contract for its furniture. He hoped to have enough furniture by July 4 to "show off some of the rooms." He also told the President that the State Department had "refused to make any funds available to cover the expense of dedicating, opening, or christening [the] new building." 3 Luns was the Dutch Foreign Minister. Young had suggested that he bring Luns in "for a few minutes’ chat" during the foreign minister’s upcoming visit to Washington. Eisenhower, however, would meet with Luns in Paris in September and in Washington in October 1960 (see State, Foreign Relations, 1958 - 1960, vol. VII, pt. 1, Western European Integration and Security; Canada, pp. 480 - 84; see also no. 1126; and Chronology). Bibliographic reference to this document: Eisenhower, Dwight D. To Philip Young, 2 July 1959. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, ed. L. Galambos and D. van Ee, doc. 1225. World Wide Web facsimile by The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission of the print edition; Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, http://www.eisenhowermemorial.org/presidential-papers/second-term/documents/1225.cfm <--PREV Doc #1224  |  Memorial Commission Home Page  |  Second Term Table of Contents  |  Presidential Papers Home Page  |  Doc#  |  NEXT--> Doc #1226

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