Secretary and Mrs. Dulles 1954

After the SEATO conference, General and Mrs. Romulo entertained U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and his wife, Janet Avery Dulles, in their Forbes Park, Manila, residence.

U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles arrived in Manila in 1954 for the summit that would try to work out a Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) that included the United States, Great Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Thailand, and the Philippines. Before leaving the United States, Dulles had said: "I hope that ways and means can be found to enable Cambodia, Laos and Southern Vietnam to become free, vigorous, and liberty-loving nations, and that the whole area can be strengthened by a sense of solidarity."

Also known as the Manila Pact, the defense treaty was signed on the final day of the diplomatic summit, which took place from September 6 to 8, and the agreement created SEATO.

After the conference, General and Mrs. Romulo entertained representatives from all eight nations, including U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and his wife, Janet Avery Dulles, in their Forbes Park residence.

The quote is from “First Meeting in Manila on S.E. Asia Treaty,” The Sydney Morning Herald, p 3, Sep 2, 1954.