56 Foreign Relations, 1958-1960, Volume IX



diplomacy had emerged in the United States. Were Dulles alive, he ob-
served, Khrushchev would never have been invited. The German Am-
bassador to Moscow Kroll had reported a great rise in Khrushchev's
prestige at home and in uncommitted countries because of his American
tour. (I have read a good many of Kroll's reports and have little confi-
dence in his judgment, although in this respect it is probably correct.)
    The Chancellor then asked me an extraordinary question: "Are Mr.
Herter's eyes not too kind?" When I explored this query, I found what
he had in mind was the fear of Herter being too gentlemanly to engage
Khrushchev or Gromyko in rough and tumble debate. I told him that in
my opinion Herter was fully capable of taking care of himself under all
circumstances. He had a long political career in Massachusetts where
toughness in speech and action is requisite to success. Moreover, I
thought his rebukes to Gromyko at Geneva were sharper and more ef-
fective than any I heard from other Foreign Ministers.
    The Chancellor then got onto the subject of the Soviets wanting fi-
nancing, instruction and technical assistance for building chemical
plants. He understood the Dupont Company in the U.S. was consider-
ing accepting some working arrangement with them. I told him I was
not specifically informed but hoped this was not true since, especially at
this time, I would think it inadvisable. It is evident that the Russian econ-
omy has become widely self-sufficient, but to change at this juncture our
attitude toward trade relations with them would seem to me ill timed
and in some respects dangerous. He said he was in agreement and had
no intention of permitting German firms to participate. Industrialists, he
thought, were as a class lacking in political acumen.
    He fixed me with a genial eye and said he had committed an indis-
cretion while the President was here3by telling Eisenhower he hoped he
would refuse to accept my resignation as Ambassador and that I would
remain here indefinitely. The President seems to have answered this
was beyond his control-he would like nothing better, but it was up to
the Chancellor and not himself to persuade me. I got out of that one by
saying that, happy as I had been in Germany, I simply must go home
and next month seemed the logical time. He wagged his head and said
we would talk about it further later.
    [Here follow two paragraphs describing Bruce's activities for the
rest of the day.]



3 See Documents 5 and 8.