<--PREV Doc #1537  |  Memorial Commission Home Page  |  Second Term Table of Contents  |  Presidential Papers Home Page  |  Doc#  |  NEXT--> Doc #1539 Document #1538; May 18, 1960 To Charles AndrÉ Joseph Marie de Gaulle Series: EM, AWF, International Series: De Gaulle The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, Volume XX - The Presidency: Keeping the Peace Part IX: Shattered Dreams; March 1960 to July 1960 Chapter 22: Disaster in Paris   Dear Mr. President: I leave Paris with, of course, a measure of disappointment because our hopes for taking even a small step toward peace have been dashed by the intransigence and arrogance of one individual.1 But in another respect I leave Paris with the warmth and strength of your friendship, so amply demonstrated and renewed under the stress of the last four days, an even more valued possession than ever before. You and I have shared great experiences in war and in peace, and from those experiences has come, for my part at least, a respect and admiration for you that I have for few men. Certainly the word "ally" has for me now an even deeper meaning than ever before. I salute the staunch determination that you and your countrymen have shown.2 Permit me to thank you and your associates in government, once again, for the many courtesies you extended to me and the party traveling with me.3 With assurances of my continuing high esteem, and my warm personal regard, Sincerely 1 For background on the Summit Conference see no. 1523; see also State, Foreign Relations, 1958 - 1960, vol. IX, Berlin Crisis 1959 - 1960; Germany; Austria, pp. 340 - 43, 358 - 414. Soon after the Soviet Union had shot down an American U-2 reconnaissance plane (see no. 1531), Soviet Premier Khrushchev had stated that flights of this kind were "an open threat to peace" and that he had changed his estimate of President Eisenhower. He had not, however, revealed his intentions regarding the Summit Conference (State, American Foreign Policy; Current Documents, 1960, pp. 420 - 23). In a subsequent discussion of the U-2 and its effect on the summit, Eisenhower had told State Department officials that the best course was "to chuckle about it and turn the subject off." He planned to let Khrushchev talk as much as he wanted about the event and would then quietly suggest that he should speak privately to him about it (Goodpaster, Memorandums of Conference, May 10, 12, 16, 1960, AWF/D). After arriving in Paris on May 15, Eisenhower had told Secretary Herter that he thought the U-2 was "a dead issue," and would see Khrushchev alone if he raised the matter (Goodpaster, Memorandum of Conference, May 16, 1960, AWF/D). At this same time, however, Khrushchev was telling French President de Gaulle "that he could take no part in the conference unless Eisenhower made a public apology to the Soviet Union, condemned the aggression committed by the United States, announced what punishment would be meted out to those responsible, and [stated] that no American spy plane would ever fly over Soviet territory again" (de Gaulle, Memoirs of Hope, pp. 247 - 49; see also Khrushchev, Khrushchev Remembers, pp. 452 - 53; Macmillan, Pointing the Way, pp. 202 - 3; Walters, Silent Missions, pp. 340 - 41; Bohlen, Witness to History, p. 467; and State, Foreign Relations, 1958 - 1960, vol. IX, Berlin Crisis 1959 - 1960; Germany; Austria, pp. 416, 422 - 23). At the first meeting of the four heads of government on May 16 Khrushchev had immediately attacked the "provocative act" of the U.S. government and had scorned the initial "ridiculous" explanation. Unless Eisenhower followed the course of action he had outlined to de Gaulle, Khrushchev stated, the conference should be postponed for six to eight months or until the United States reconsidered its policies. Khrushchev also withdrew his invitation to Eisenhower to visit the Soviet Union in June. Eisenhower responded by deploring "the distasteful necessity of espionage activities in a world where nations distrust each other’s intentions." The overflights, however, had been suspended, he said, and would not be resumed. After subsequent statements by Macmillan, de Gaulle, and Khrushchev the meeting ended. For the remainder of that day and the next the Western leaders and their advisers had discussed Khrushchev’s statement and the future of the conference. When the Soviet leader did not appear at a meeting arranged for 3:00 p.m. on May 17, the three allies issued a joint communiqué indicating regret that the conference could not take place and reiterating their belief that negotiation was the only way to settle international questions. In their final meeting on May 18 Eisenhower, Macmillan, de Gaulle, and their foreign ministers had discussed the need for an effective tripartite relationship, contingency planning in the event that communications in Berlin were disrupted, and disarmament issues. Eisenhower would leave Paris on the following day for a short visit to Portugal before returning to the United States (State, Foreign Relations, 1958 - 1960, vol. IX, Berlin Crisis 1959 - 1960; Germany; Austria, pp. 417 - 98; State, American Foreign Policy; Current Documents, 1960, pp. 426 - 31; Goodpaster, Memorandums of Conference, May 16, 27, 1960; Eisenhower, Waging Peace, pp. 553 - 57; Macmillan, Pointing the Way, pp. 204 - 14; de Gaulle, Memoirs of Hope, pp. 249 - 53; Khrushchev, Khrushchev Remembers, pp. 453 - 61; Bohlen, Witness to History, pp. 467 - 70; Walters, Silent Missions, pp. 342 - 48). 2 After the Soviets had ended the conference, de Gaulle had told Eisenhower that no matter what Khrushchev did and no matter what happened, he was with him to the end (ibid., p. 346; see also Goodpaster, Memorandum of Conference, May 16, 1960, AWF/D; and Eisenhower, Waging Peace, p. 556). 3 De Gaulle would write that he was "sincerely touched" by Eisenhower’s sentiments and that he shared the feelings the President had expressed. "At least these developments have enabled our countries to test the strength of the bonds uniting them" (de Gaulle to Eisenhower, May 20, 1960, AWF/I: de Gaulle; see also Herter to Eisenhower, May 28, 1960, ibid.). For developments see no. 1542. Bibliographic reference to this document: Eisenhower, Dwight D. To Charles AndrÉ Joseph Marie de Gaulle, 18 May 1960. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, ed. L. Galambos and D. van Ee, doc. 1538. 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/1538.cfm <--PREV Doc #1537  |  Memorial Commission Home Page  |  Second Term Table of Contents  |  Presidential Papers Home Page  |  Doc#  |  NEXT--> Doc #1539

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