<--PREV Doc #27  |  Memorial Commission Home Page  |  Second Term Table of Contents  |  Presidential Papers Home Page  |  Doc#  |  NEXT--> Doc #29 Document #28; February 6, 1957 To John Foster Dulles Series: EM, AWF, Dulles-Herter Series ; Category: Secret The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, Volume XVIII - The Presidency: Keeping the Peace Part I: A New Beginning, Old Problems; January 1957 to May 1957 Chapter 1: The Mideast and the Eisenhower Doctrine   Dear Foster: While I think this needs no reply, I felt that you might like to read the personal opinions of Dr. Schweitzer.1 Because of the earnest request he made upon Norman Cousins for secrecy in this communication, I ask that you do not show it to anyone else in your Department.2 As perhaps you know, I was asked about this letter at my press conference this morning. I understand that the New York Times had an inquiry from their Paris office about it.3 As ever P.S. Please return the letters to me. 1 Dr. Albert Schweitzer (M.D. University of Strasbourg 1913), missionary surgeon, clergyman, musicologist, and winner of the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize, was founder of the hospital in Lambaréné, French Equatorial Africa. He had written Eisenhower regarding an African-Asian resolution on Algeria soon to be brought before the United Nations. The resolution supported Algerian self-determination and called for immediate French-Algerian negotiations. "Would you forgive me," Schweitzer wrote, "for speaking of the grave consequences that would follow for the French Government if, not having the support of America, it sustained a defeat in the United Nations. The situation would be so compromised that it does not seem likely that it could continue in office" (Jan. 27, 1957, AWF/D-H). For background on the Algerian situation see Galambos and van Ee, The Middle Way, nos. 1792 and 2108. 2 Norman Cousins, editor of The Saturday Review, had sent Schweitzer's letter to Eisenhower after returning from a visit to Lambaréné. According to Cousins, a French government official had "made a special rush trip" to persuade Schweitzer to write to the President. Such a message, Cousins said, represented the "violation of a basic operating principle" of Schweitzer's life--not to involve himself in political affairs--and he was "absolutely firm in his opposition to public release of the letter" (Cousins to Eisenhower, Feb. 4, 1957, AWF/D-H; see also Telephone conversation, Eisenhower and Dulles, Feb. 6, 1957, Dulles Papers, Telephone Conversations; and Eisenhower, Waging Peace, p. 106). 3 Eisenhower had told his questioner that although he had not yet seen a letter from Dr. Schweitzer, he thought the humanitarian was "a very knowledgeable, wise man" and that he was interested in his views (Public Papers of the Presidents: Eisenhower, 1957, p. 130; see also New York Times, Feb. 6, 1957). On February 13 the First Committee of the General Assembly would--with U.S. support--reject the resolution. Subsequently the General Assembly would unanimously adopt a resolution calling for a peaceful and democratic solution to the Algerian question through measures appropriate and consistent with the United Nations Charter (State, Foreign Relations, 1955 - 1957, vol. XVIII, Africa [1989], pp. 258 - 62; see also U.S. Department of State Bulletin 36, no. 924 [March 11, 1957], 421 - 23). For developments see no. 67. Bibliographic reference to this document: Eisenhower, Dwight D. Secret To John Foster Dulles, 6 February 1957. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, ed. L. Galambos and D. van Ee, doc. 28. 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/28.cfm <--PREV Doc #27  |  Memorial Commission Home Page  |  Second Term Table of Contents  |  Presidential Papers Home Page  |  Doc#  |  NEXT--> Doc #29

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