J oessel, Jr. :~,_L_IM_IT_E_D_O_F_F_I_C_I_A_L_u_s_E_ 
ting Office and Officer) • 
DEPARTMENT OF STATE 
• 

MemoranJum ol Conversation 
DATE: May 31, 1967 
SUBJECT: Farewell Call of Romanian Ambassador on President Johnson 
PARTICIPANTS: The President 
His Excellency Petre Balaceanu, Romanian Ambassador 
Mr. James Wo Symington, Chief of Protocol 
Mr. Francis Bator, 
Mro Walter J. Stoessel, Jro, Deputy Assistant Secretary, EUR 

COPIES TO: 
S/S White House 
S/P EUR 
G Bucharest 
INR/OD 
CIA 
Ambassador Balaceanu said that he wou~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 Washington. He also expressed thanks for assistance from all of the officials of the United States Government, 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 doo 
The President agreed, saying that he eagerly seeks ways to improve relations between Romania and the United States. 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 o 
The President said that he wished to extend the hand of friendship to other countries and to build bridges to the Eastq He wished to dispel misunderstandirlgs between countries and fear 
between _J 
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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 tqe other person's point of view, the President felt that we aq~ avoid tensions between countries. Tensions promote fights between countries and the President did not like fightso 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 t hem. 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. ,. '"' 
J ' ,l I +r 
The President felt that the Ambassador ha~ been most helpful in his s~nse \ He referred again to t he Water for ~ Peace Conference and stressed the importance of water to 
mankind. 
The President told the Ambassador thlt 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 
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consul~r 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. However, the Ambassador knew that the President and his Administration were trying to solve the trade question 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 function. 
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 had cancelled a visit of Mary Martin to the USSR for unknown reasons last year, the President had signed an exchange \.....­agreement with the Soviet Union and under it numerous exchanges of cultural and other groups are taking placeo We have con­cluded the 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 with the Soviet Union; 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 fighting with L/" weapons, there is still hope. 
The President mentioned that Ambassador Goldberg and Ambassador Fed~enko 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 
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could wear each other out in talking about peace rather than resorting to arms. In a sense, this means we are making 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 cooperation. 
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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