International records / Foreign Relations of the United States

81. Memorandum of Conference With President Eisenhower

year or more—by which time the situation may have gone against us. The President said he thought the large number of small countries in this area did not make good sense. He wondered whether several of these could combine, such as Togo, Dahomey and Nigeria. Mr. Dillon said that Dahomey, Niger, Upper Volta and the Ivory Coast are forming an entente, with Houphouet-Boigny the leader. He thought that perhaps Togo may join a little later. Mr. Stans commented that he understood the French to say that we should sell trucks to the government of Mali rather than make a gift of them. Mr. Dillon showed …