-oessel,Jr. :AMR 
~Office and Offira) 
• DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

•
APPROVED BY WH • 
6/ 9/67. 
DATE: May 31, 1967 
SUBJECT: Farewell Call of Romanian Ambassador on President Johnson 
The President 
PARTICIPANTS: 	His Excellency Petre Balaceanu, Romanian Ambassador Mr . James Wo Symington, Chief of Protocol Mr . Francis Bator, Deputy Special Assistant to the President Mr. Walter J. Stoessel, Jr ., Deputy Assistant Secretary, EUR 
COPIES TO: 	S/S c White Jio 
S/P EUR 
G BUCHAREST 
INR/OD 
CIA 

Ambassador Balaceanu said that he would be departing on June 21. He had been in Washington six years and he wished to thank the President for all the courtesies he had enjoyed while serving in Washingtono He also expressed thanks for assistance from all of the officials of the United States Governi-nent, which had enabled him to perform his duties and to carry out the policy of his government, which was to improve relations with the United States in as many fields as possible . While it had not been feasible to do everything, he was appreciative of what had been done; however, the Ambassador felt there was still more to do. 
The President agreed, saying that he eagerly seeks ways to improve relations between Romania and the United Stateso He was glad to have had the Ambassador in Washington and he was very pleased, in particular, that Romania had been represented at the Water for Peace Conference . 
The President said that he wished to extend the hand of friendship to other countries and to build bridges to the East . He wished to dispel misunderstandings between countries and fear 
between _J 
FORM 
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between men. After all, we all want the same things in life, although we follow different ways in attempting to achieve our goals. This is only natural; we would not wish a civili­zation in which everyone saw things the same way . 
The President said it was important that we learn to be tolerant of each other . For himself, he always tried to put himself in the position of the other person. When he had to decide a question about Romania , for example, he tried to imagine how the Romanian Ambassador would feel if he were President and had to make the decision. By trying to under­stand the other person ' s point of view, the President felt that we could avoid tensions between countries . Tensions promote fights between countries and the President did not like fights. He was sure that the Ambassador felt the same way. 
The President acknowledged that we are not perfect and that the United States has made errors . He said that we did not dislike the Romanian people, nor were we fearful of them. He was convinced that the Romanian people did not dislike nor fear the American people . We should try to understand each other and work together . The President felt that the Ambas­sador had been most helpful in developing increased under­standing between Romania and the U.-S . 
The President told the Ambassador that in departing he carried with him the very best wishes of the American people. The President hoped that we would not have any set­backs and that we would continue to work in the direction of peace. 
The Ambassador reiterated that the policy of Romania is to have good relations with the United States . He said that the Romanians were looking again at the draft of a consular convention in an attempt to find means of reconciling the United States and Romanian viewpoints. The Romanians are hopeful of progress in the trade field, although there are 
problems . 
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problems. However, the Ambassador knew that the President 
a?d h~s Administration were trying to solve the trade ques­
t7on in the correct way. This was gratifying since Romania 
wished to enlarge trade with the United States. 
The President hoped very much that we could move in this direction. He noted that we are now in a tense period because of Viet-Nam. No one sees clearly a solution of this problem. For our part, we do not wish to invade North Viet-Nam nor to destroy their government. Our aim is simply to have them leave South Viet-Nam alone and to permit the process of self­determination to functiono 
The President continued that this is a difficult period in which countries on both sides of the conflict feel that they must support their respective allies. However, it has been possible, even during this difficult period, to make some progress in our relations with the Soviet Union. Even though the Soviet Union, for unknown reasons, had cancelled a visit by Mary Martin to the USSR last year, the President had signed an exchange agreement with the Soviet Union. Under it numerous exchanges of cultural and other groups are taking placeo We have concluded a Civil Air Agreement with the Soviet Union providing for direct flights between Moscow and New York; we have negotiated a treaty on outer space with the Soviet Union, and an exchange of ratifications will be taking place soon; we have negotiated and ratified a consular convention; we are working on a non-proliferation treaty, and we hope to have discussions of the anti-missile problem. So long as we can talk about these things rather than fight, there is still hope. 
The President mentioned that Ambassador Goldberg and Ambassador Fedorenko had engaged this afternoon at the UN in a prolonged discussion about the meaning of the word "peace". Both had said they were on the side of peace, but they disputed its meaning. The President thought it was a good thing if we could wear each other out talking about 
peace 
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peace rather than resorting to arms. In a sense, this means we are mak ing progress. 
The President again praised Ambassador Balaceanu for his contributions to understanding during his service in Washington and said that it was thanks to representatives like the Ambas­sador that both sides could move ahead in the search for increased cooperationo 
The Ambassador responded that he deeply appreciated the President's words and that he would always remember his stay in the United States with the greatest pleasure. 
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