LETTER TO JOHN F. SIMMONS, ESQ. FROM ALLEN W. DULLES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01676R004200020082-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 15, 2003
• Sequence Number: 82
• Publication Date: July 27, 1955
• Content Type: LETTER

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John Jr. S ae=ons f Esq.
Chlef of Protoccal
Departnmtnt at state
Washington 2S, D. C.
Dear Jack:
27 July 1955
25X1
I enclose a copy of a letter that I received from, Bob Blum,
an old friend of amine, who is the head of the Asia Foundation in
San Francisco. I would be glad to tell you personally a little
more about this Foundation if you were interested.
Then question that Bob Blum raises in his letter is not at
all within my competence, and I merely pass it on to you for any
consideration you may consider appropriate.
I realise the problem involved in keeping track of all our
distinguished visitors who, in addition to their formal visits.
desire to travel around the country. Possibly there is no
adequate solution for this problem.
Faithfully yours,
us
Allen W. Dulles
Director
Encl.
AWD:at
Distribution:
Orig Addressee
I cc - DCI File w/Encl.
1 cc - C/10 w/copy of Encl.
I zt - MR. via Keating 4copy of'Encl.
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 COP"
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July Z2, 1955
Dear Allen:
I am sending to your associates full reports on my conversations
with Prime Minister U Nu of Burma and on the work done by The Asia
Foundation in arranging his visit to the San Francisco area where he
spent two and a half days from July 13th to 16h. I saw a
find that he was very cordial
of him during that time and was happy to
to our organization and the work we are doing in Burma. You may wish
to glance over the two reports on my conversations and on the arrange-
ments we made that I have forwarded separately.
In affect, The Asia Foundation had almost full responsibility
for making the arrangements for the Prime Minister's visit in this
area. This came about because (1) the Burmese Embassy asked us to
help, (Z) the State Department took almost no responsibility for the
visit, (3) we were glad to help and once we started making the arrange-
ments our responsibilities multiplied and we could not let go.
I was delighted that we were able to do this. On the other hand,
this experience convinced me that the State Department was not shoulder-
ing as much responsibility as it should in connection with distinguished
forlign visitors. I was told by James Barrington, the Burmese Ambassador,
that the "official visit" of the Prime Minister covered only the three
or four days in New York and Washington. For the rest of the time, the
Burmese party was on its own and had to make the arrangements as best it
could. Thus, in their visits to Detroit, Knoxville, Arizona, Southern
California and Sam Francisco they were completely dependent an such
local interest, initiative and organizing ability as might be available.
The Burmese party felt, I believe, that the visit to San Francisco went
very well. I know that they did not have the same opinion about some of
because we
l
i
i
y
mp
s s
the other arrangements. If it went well here, it
had the means and the desire to step in and handle the whole thing in
consultation with the Burmese Embassy, including hotel reservations,
port reception, lunches, visits, secretarial assistance, arrangements
with local authorities, etc.
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There were several Government officials accompanying the party
including a State Department security officer, a State Department desk
officer and some USIA people. But they took no responsibility whatsoever
for the arrangements and were apparently not expected to. This is also
true of the State Department's Reception Center in San Francisco.
It seems to me that such a system is quite indefensible. There are
just too many opportunities for things to go wrong and it requires real
dedication, time and resources to have everything work out properly.
I know that Ambassador Barrington was unhappy about the whole thing,
not because things worked out badly -- which was not the case -- but
as he told me, "after all, U Nu is a Chief of Government and it should
be an official responsibility to make arrangements during his visit to
this country". The present system, as Barrington put it mildly, is an
"untidy" one,
Let me give you small examples. The Manager of the San Francisco
Airport would not give permission for cars for the Prime Minister's
party to go on the airfield to receive the party on its arrival until
I called Simmons in Washington and he said permission should be granted.
On departure, however, permission for the cars to drive on the field was
refused, Also, at the departure from the continental United States, not
one Federal, State or City official was present except for the junior
persons from Washington mentioned above.
If I write to you directly on this, it is because I do not think
the prestige or the interest of the United States is well served by the
present system. I am delighted that The Asia Foundation was able to do
what it did and we are prepared to do the same again, but I would feel
much more comfortable if there were some kind of official State Depart-
ment sponsorship of the arrangements. The assistance and participation
of local groups is necessary, but the Government should retain overall
responsibility the entire time the visitor is in this country.
Sincerely yours,
/s/ Bob
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