Office of the Historian

299. Letter From the Secretary of State to the President1

Washington, September 28, 1957.

Dear Mr. President: I had long talk yesterday with Harold Stassen. He said that he had had a prior talk with Sherman Adams which had indicated that there was doubt, which he shared, as to whether he should carry on in the disarmament work. In order to clarify the situation he had prepared a memorandum of his views. (I enclose a copy of this.)2 I said that I had studied the memorandum and found myself unable to agree with it for reasons which I had put down in a [Page 726] memorandum to him. (A copy of my memorandum is also enclosed herewith.)3

I have come reluctantly to the conclusion that Harold feels that we should seek some sort of an agreement with the Russians on almost any terms—their terms, if necessary. And indeed his memorandum means, in essence, that we accept their terms. My feeling is that this is a dangerous attitude; that the very process of seeking this agreement, by bilateral talks, will dangerously breach our relations with our Western Allies and after that is accomplished we may get no agreement at all, or at best an agreement which will have nothing in it worth while either in substance, or in means of verification of promises.

Harold recognizes that the difference of our viewpoints is perhaps irreconcilable and said that at your convenience he thought it would be useful if you had a talk with him and me. I agreed to this.4

I have meanwhile submitted Harold’s memorandum to me to Lewis Strauss and to Defense so as to get their views.5

Faithfully yours,

John Foster Dulles6
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 600.0012/9–2857. Secret. Drafted by Dulles.↩
  2. Not printed. (Ibid., 600.0012/9–2357)↩
  3. Supra.↩
  4. See Document 304.↩
  5. See footnote 4, Supra.↩
  6. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩