122. Letter From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson) to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Gray)1

Dear Gordon : Upon my return to the office this morning after a week’s absence, your letter of February 182 was brought to my attention.

You indicate that the Department of Defense is firmly of the view that the inspection teams cannot continue as they are beyond March 8, a date which marks the end of the three-month period during which President Rhee assured Congressman Zablocki’s subcommittee that he would “do his [Rhee’s]3 best” to stop the anti-Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission demonstrations in the Republic of Korea. You suggest that if the Swiss and Swedish negotiations have not brought about withdrawal of the inspection teams to the Demilitarized Zone by March 1, the United Nations Command should take unilateral action to remove these teams from the Republic of Korea.

As you know, we have pressed the Swiss and Swedes to bring their negotiations on this matter to a speedy and satisfactory conclusion. My letter to you of February 164 reported their progress thus far. Personally, I have been encouraged by the progress that has been made.

In view of the possibility pointed out by Chargé Strom (Seoul’s telegram No. 865)5 that the patriotic demonstrations in the Republic of Korea which take place on March 1, Korean Independence Day, might be used as an occasion for the renewal of anti-Neutral Nations [Page 227] Supervisory Commission demonstrations, we have again discussed the situation with the Swiss and Swedes.6 We have told them that we thought the only way we could forestall anti-Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission speeches and demonstrations on March 1 would be to make a report of the substantial Swiss and Swedish progress to President Rhee. The Swiss and Swedes have agreed that we may make such a report, but have urged that they be given a little more time to bring their negotiations to a satisfactory conclusion. Following our conversations with the Swiss and Swedes, we instructed Chargé Strom in Seoul to see President Rhee and to report that the Swiss and Swedes have rejected the Communist counterproposal to leave one fixed team in the north and one in the south and are standing firm on their proposal that all inspection teams be removed to the Demilitarized Zone. We have also suggested that President Rhee be told that the Swiss and Swedes had asked that a little more time be given them and that the cessation of the anti-Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission demonstrations in Korea had greatly facilitated their negotiations with the Czechs and Poles.

I understand that our staffs have already been working on such preparations as may be necessary for unilateral action, should that action be required, and that considerable progress has been made. I cannot agree, however, that it would be wise to instruct the United Nations Command to take action on March 1. As I have said previously, such action in our view would incur serious political and propaganda disadvantages for the United States. On the other hand, successful action by the Swiss and Swedes leading to removal of the teams to the Demilitarized Zone would have positive political and propaganda advantages for the United States.

Of course, I believe that we must keep this matter constantly under review. President Rhee’s reaction to Chargé Strom’s report of Swiss and Swedish progress will presumably give us a clearer picture of the problem facing us.7

Sincerely yours,

Walter S. Robertson 8
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 795.00/2–1856. Secret. Drafted by Jones and cleared with L/UNA, EUR, and UNP.
  2. Document 120.
  3. Brackets in the source text.
  4. The letter is dated February 15; see footnote 5, Document 119.
  5. See footnote 2, Supra .
  6. On February 21 and 23, Deputy Assistant Secretary Sebald discussed with Swedish Minister Douglas the question of authorizing Strom to brief President Rhee on the progress of the negotiations to withdraw the NNITs to the demilitarized zone, and to assure Rhee of Swedish determination to see the negotiations succeed. The Swedish response is summarized in the final paragraph of telegram 576, Supra . The Swiss response to a similar request was conveyed to the Department in telegram 901 from Bern and is also discussed in telegram 576. Memoranda of Sebald’s conversations with Douglas are in Department of State, Central Files, 795.00/2–2356.
  7. See footnote 3, Supra .
  8. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.