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{
    "localId": "193225441",
    "label": "Memorandum from President Harry S. Truman to Secretary of State Dean Acheson with Attached Report from United States Ambassador to Luxembourg Perle Mesta",
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{
    "id": "193225441",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Memorandum from President Harry S. Truman to Secretary of State Dean Acheson with Attached Report from United States Ambassador to Luxembourg Perle Mesta",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193225441",
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        "Dean Acheson Papers",
        "Secretary of State Files"
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    "productionDates": [
        {
            "day": 11,
            "logicalDate": "1952-08-11",
            "month": 8,
            "year": 1952
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    "seq": 4,
    "pageIndex": 0,
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    "ocrText": "RECORDS BERVICE'\n-2-\nthen come into contact with the laborers of the country, but the heads of\nthe steel company also agreed with me that I had done the right thing.\nThe\nminers had asked me first and, as I feel our country should not only preach\nDemocracy, but practice it as well, I used my own judgment and went with the\nminers. Mr. West was shocked and from then on disapproved of many things I\ndid.\nMr. West showed great surprise when I went into the offfice every morning\nbetween 8:30 and 9 o' clock to keep the regular hours of the Legation.\nHe\ninformed me that this was not necessary and that he could easily handle the\noffice. In fact, he knew just the person I .would need to help me as Secretary-\nHousekeeper. A Belgian girl who would go over the household affairs with me\nand then report to him on the activities of the Legation residence.\nNeedless to say, I felt that I had been appointed as a representative of\nmy country to do more than sit at home and enter tain. Mr. West told me that\nhe had never dreamed that I would come into the office and it was my feeling\nfrom his attitude that he resented the fact that I showed an interest in what\nwent on in the Legation and that I asked to be briefed on all official actions\ntaken by the officers.\nHe also never approved of the fact that I tried to know the people of\nLuxembourg - not only the government officials but also the people.\nHe\ndisliked my attending any village ceremonies and he said that it was undignified.\nHe disapproved of my attending industrial exhibits. He said that my riding\nevery weekend through the countryside to become acquainted wi th the people\nand also the terrain of the country was unbecoming to a Minister. In fact,\nwhen he was finally transferred to Bonn, Germany, he said to me:\n\"My final advice to you would be to stay at your office.\nYou know the\npeople and the countryside well enough so it is not necessary to mingle with\nthem any more.\nII\nThis was advice that I could not accept in my heart\nas I had"
}