Joint Statement Following Discussions With the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom.

THE PRESIDENT had lunch with the Foreign Secretary Lord Home, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Ambassador to the United States Ormsby Gore, Under Secretary of State George Ball and Ambassador David Bruce. They met for two hours. The discussions centered on Berlin, the Congo and Cuba.

The conversations which Lord Home and Mr. Rusk had had with Mr. Gromyko in New York were reviewed. There was complete agreement on the assessment of the dangers of the Berlin situation and on the continued need for the Western powers to stand firm on their vital interests.

They agreed on the urgent need for a settlement of the continuing Congo crisis on the basis of the reconciliation plan proposed by the Secretary General of the United Nations.

They agreed on the serious nature of developments in Cuba and they discussed ways and means of containing further Communist expansion and subversion in the Caribbean.

The President and the Foreign Secretary confirmed their support for the early signature of a test ban agreement.

They also agreed on the strong necessity for the signatories of the Geneva Accord on Laos to see to it that all foreign forces are withdrawn from that country by October 7th.