In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

161 I n June 1967, Hughes was involved in an important international diplomatic event, the Glassboro Summit, held at Holly Bush, the home of the president of New Jersey’s Glassboro State College (later renamed Rowan University).1 A major summit meeting between Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin and President Lyndon Baines Johnson on the Middle East took place there. In 1967, the conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors escalated, culminating in the Six-Day War.2 The Israeli forces quickly destroyed much of the Arab Air Force and marched into Arab territories. The United Nations was attempting to create a ceasefire resolution. The Soviet Union supported the Arabs; the United States supported Israel. The Soviet Union objected to a proposed ceasefire, but eventually the Russians, recognizing that delay was costing their Arab friends ground and prestige, gave way and supported it. The Security Council then focused on the warring parties, issuing a simple ceasefire proposal that Israel quickly accepted, contingent on agreement by its enemies.3 The United Nations’s call for a ceasefire was met with initial rejection by the Arab countries. However, they soon agreed. The agreement was, at least in part, the result of vigorous pressure from the Soviet Union. Eventually, Premier Kosygin went to the United Nations. On the morning of Kosygin’s speech, President Johnson, though not at the U.N., delivered a speech to the nation outlining his proposals for settlement of the crisis. Later in the day, Kosygin spoke, condemning the actions of Israel. There was a belief that both Johnson and Kosygin wanted to defuse the situation; however, neither wanted to appear to give in. While many thought a one-on-one Chapter 13 Working for Peace At Home and Abroad The LIFE and TIMES of R ICHARD J. HUGHES 162 meeting between the two was necessary, Johnson did not want to go to the UN, which he perceived as Kosygin’s territory. And Kosygin did not want to go to Washington. Into this impasse stepped Hughes. He is quoted as saying, “President Johnson and Premier Kosygin could not see their way to meet, and the Prime Minister was scheduled to leave the United States in a few days. I became upset about this and thought how tragic it would be if these leaders of the two great nuclear powers, mixed up in world tensions we have today, could not meet. I knew that millions of Americans devoutly hoped they could get together, for all rational people know these men are dealing with inflammable subjects. The whole world is in a dangerous situation now. If those who lead the two greatest powers cannot meet when they are a short distance from each other, the future of the world, particularly of my children and theirs, looks bleak. I had no idea then what could be accomplished, but at least to clear my conscience I resolved to offer New Jersey as a meeting place.”4 Stephen Farber, administrative assistant to Hughes, said that Hughes called Marvin Watson, President Johnson’s appointments secretary, who was unavailable. He then spoke with Walter Rostow, a presidential assistant, who said he would discuss Hughes’s offer with the president. They wanted a place that was convenient to a jet airport, and several locations were discussed. Hughes suggested Glassboro State College. He explained, “The reason we picked it was kind of an odd one. We could have done it at Morven, Princeton. They thought it was too small. Charles Englehard’s estate would have been available. That was too ornate, to offend a Russian who’d come up from the labor ranks, you know might have been too much style for him . . . but we finally decided on Glassboro. And I picked that because it would have been available and because not that it’s in disarray or decaying or anything, but there’s cracks in the sidewalk, it looks like the ordinary town. And it turns out that Kosygin was just delighted that we picked that. He says, ‘You picked a fine place for this meeting.’ ”5 President Johnson, in his memoirs, said, “My old friend Governor Richard J. Hughes of New Jersey had called the White House and talked to Walt Rostow. Hughes had been reading about the problems of arranging a Johnson-Kosygin meeting. Why not agree on some site in New Jersey? He asked. Then he suggested such possible places as Rutgers and Princeton Universities. Rostow promised him we...

Share