Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, Korea, Volume XXIII, Part 2

131. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, April 12, 1956¹

Washington, April 12, 1956

SUBJECT

• Chinese Communist Note on the NNSC and Korean Issue

PARTICIPANTS

• Mr. E.P. Youde, Second Secretary, British Embassy
• Mr. Christopher A. Norred, Acting Officer in Charge, Korean Affairs, NA
• Mr. George M. Barbis, NA

Mr. Youde left for study by the Department of State copies of a note (copy attached) received by the United Kingdom Chargé in Peiping on April 9.

With respect to the Chinese Communist request in paragraph 3 of the note that the United Kingdom and the other governments of the UN Command call a conference of the nations concerned to discuss withdrawal of foreign forces from Korea and peaceful unification of Korea, the British Government suggests that the Chinese Communist proposal be conveyed formally to the other governments of the UN Command through the normal mechanism of the meetings of the Sixteen in Washington. The British Government asked the views of the British Embassy and the Department of State on procedures of handling the Chinese Communist note.

Mr. Norred asked whether the views of any of the other governments of the UN Command had been sought on this question. Mr. Youde said that he understood the Canadians knew of the note and that he believed that it had not been conveyed outside the Commonwealth countries, and possibly not even to Australia and New Zealand.

Mr. Norred indicated that he was receiving the note so that the Department might study it to exchange views with the British Government on procedures in handling it and that the British should not consider that they have formally conveyed it to the U.S. as the Chinese Communists requested in paragraph 3 of the note.

Mr. Youde said that he was sure that this was what the British Government contemplated at this stage. He said that he would provide further information about British consultations on the note, and that he would await reply as to the views of the United States.²

Attachment

TEXT OF A NOTE RECEIVED BY H.M. CHARGÉ D’AFFAIRES IN PEIPING ON APRIL 9th³

Korea

Following is text [grp. undec.]⁴ after the compliments.

The Governments of Sweden and Switzerland have, on many occasions, stated to the Chinese Government the practical difficulties which they have encountered in their work in the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission in Korea and have expressed the hope that a settlement could be reached. The Chinese Government sympathizes [grp. undec. ? strongly] with the position of the Governments of Sweden and Switzerland and have endeavoured unceasingly to try to mitigate their difficulties. Recently the Swedish Government proposed that the whole of the six neutral observation teams, which are at present stationed in designated ports in south and north Korea, should be withdrawn for the time being and that observation teams should be despatched temporarily only when the need arose, while the Swiss Government proposed that the existing neutral observation teams in the six designated ports should be eliminated and that mobile observation teams only should be retained. The Chinese Government hold that a fundamental solution to the practical difficulties which the Governments of Sweden and Switzerland have repeatedly raised, can only be reached when a solution has been reached on the question of peaceful unification of Korea and first of all on the question of withdrawing all foreign forces from Korea.

2. Since the Geneva conference on Korea in 1954, Korean and Chinese sides have consistently advocated that a conference of the Nations concerned should be called to discuss the question of withdrawal from Korea of all foreign forces and the peaceful unification of Korea. The Chinese Government are, moreover, convinced that if all parties concerned are genuinely desirous of seeking a settlement a reasonable solution to these questions could be reached.

3. In the light of the above considerations, the Chinese Government, both in their own name and by authorization of the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, propose to the Government of the United Kingdom and through the Government of the United Kingdom to all other Governments of the United Nations Command, to call a conference of the nations concerned to discuss the question of the withdrawal from Korea of all foreign forces and of the peaceful unification of Korea. The Governments of Korea and China request the Government of the United Kingdom to transmit this proposal to all other Governments of the United Nations Command. The Governments of Korea and China hope that the Government of the United Kingdom and all the other Governments of the United Nations Command will give active consideration to this proposal and that they will reply as soon as possible.

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 795.00/4–1256. Confidential. Drafted by Norred.
2. In telegram 1799 to Bern, April 13, the Department instructed the Embassy to convey the substance of the Chinese note to the Swiss Government. The Swiss and Swedish Foreign Ministers were meeting in Bern at the time. The Embassy was instructed to add that the United States considered that the note indicated that there was no longer any prospect that the Communist governments would accept the Swiss and Swedish NNSC proposals. (Ibid., 795.00/4–1356) The full text of the Chinese note was conveyed to the Swiss and Swedish Embassies in Washington on April 16. (Ibid., 795.00/4–1656) The British Embassy sent copies of the note to the members of the Sixteen in Washington, and the Department cabled the text to interested Embassies. (Circular telegram 732, April 20; ibid., 795.00/4–2056)
3. Also printed in Department of State Bulletin, June 11, 1956, p. 970.
4. A11 brackets in the source text.