428 Foreign Relations, 1958-1960, Volume IX



victims as criminal in this matter. He was prepared to say that spying
was illegal, distasteful and wrong if all said it. We could not protect the
free world and the U.S. unless we made efforts to collect information.
We had been caught. However, the U-2 was now almost obsolete. But
he was not going to pledge not to take measures to defend ourselves and
fulfill our obligation to our people to insure their safety.
    General de Gaulle said that there was an additional question of the
fact that probably in a year or so reconnaissance satellites would be in
a
position to take photographs. We have no guarantee that some of Khru-
shchev's satellites have not taken photographs. General de Gaulle
thought we might say we would look into the whole broad question and
see what could be done. This was a suggestion we might put forward.
    Mr. Macmillan said he felt there was a misunderstanding as to what
Secretary Herter had actually said, and it had been badly written up in
the press. The actual text of what the Secretary had said was then read.3
    The President said that he was prepared to say we had not said we
would fly the U-2 again over the Soviet Union. He had said we would
protect ourselves and we will.
    The Secretary said we were quite ready to see if we could work
something out to protect ourselves and to protect them against surprise
attack.
    Mr. Macmillan said that there was a face-saving element involved
here in the Russian note.4 The text of what purported to be the Secre-
tary's statement was not correct.
    The President said he thought we all know our own attitude but the
question is what would our tactic be if Khrushchev opens the meeting
tomorrow morning with a blast. How would we go about answering it?
    Mr. Macmillan felt that an important element was the fact that the
Russian note said that "two days later the President confirmed that
flights over the Soviet Union have been and remain the deliberate policy
of the United States."
    The President said that he had not said that, and read aloud the
transcript of what he had actually said.5
    General de Gaulle thought that if Khrushchev comes out with a
violent blast at the opening we should indicate that "everyone does
this,
you, the Soviets do it too," and Khrushchev would then go into his



    3For text of this May 9 statement, see American Foreign Policy: Current
Documents,
1960, pp 418-420.
    4See Document 160.
    5 For a transcript of the President's press conference on May 11, see
Public Papers of
the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1960-61, pp. 403-414.