468 Foreign Relations, 1958-1960, Volume IX



178. Memorandum of Conversation

US/MC/43                                  Paris, May 17, 1960, 3 p.m.

              MEETING OF CHIEFS OF STATE AND
                    HEADS OF GOVERNMENT
PRESENT
    United States                      France
    The President                      President de Gaulle
    Secretary Herter                   Prime Minister Debre
    Secretary Gates                    M. Couve de Murville
    Mr. Bohlen                         M. Andronikof
    Colonel Walters                    Note Taker
    Mr. Akalovsky                      USSR
    United Kingdom                     Absent
    Prime Minister Macmillan
    Foreign Secretary Lloyd
    Sir Anthony Rumbold
    Mr. Zulueta

SUBJECT
    The Problems of Convening the Summit
    President de Gaulle opened the meeting by saying that he was
privileged to see the Western participants present and that he had to
note the absence of Mr. Khrushchev. He said that Mr. Khrushchev had
informed the press that the Soviet position was known and that so long
as there were no apologies he could not attend any meeting. However,
he had said that if President de Gaulle wanted to see him, he would meet
with him.
    M. Couve de Murville said that the Counselor of the Soviet Em-
bassy had telephoned to find out what was the purpose of the meeting. 1
He said that if the question was to discuss what had been discussed yes-
terday, then the meeting would be acceptable, but not before five p.m.
because Mr. Khrushchev had had no lunch. However, if other questions
were to be discussed, then Mr. Khrushchev could not attend.
    The President referred to and read a portion of his press statement
issued this morning,2 in which he said that he assumed that acceptance


    Source: Department of State, Central Files, 396.1/5-1760. Confidential;
Limit Distri-
bution. Drafted by Akalovsky and approved in S and by the White House on
May 31. The
conversation took place at Elysee Palace. A summary of the conversation was
transmitted
in Cahto 10 from Paris, May 18 at 8 p.m. (Ibid., 396.1-PA/5-1860) For four
other accounts
of this conversation, see Macmillan, Pointing the Way, pp. 209-210; de Gaulle,
Mimoires, p.
265; Walters, Silent Missions, p. 347; and Bohlen, Witness to History, p.
467.
    1 Regarding this telephone conversation and subsequent ones with the
Soviet Em-
bassy during the meeting, see Cmd. 1052, pp. 12-14.
    2For text, see American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1960, pp.
430431.