144. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the United Kingdom1
6833. Tokyo pass CINCUNC. Our Circular 777.2 Complete agreement NNSC action blocked primarily by desire some our Allies for interval between serving notice in MAC and actual removal teams from south Korea for purpose assessing Communist reaction. Department discussing further with UK and Canadian Ambassadors here. Request Embassies discuss at appropriate levels foreign offices along following lines not as formal démarche but as support for consultations Washington: (1) U.S. gratified Allies have reached general consensus recognizing necessity UNC action on NNSC problem. (2) We see nothing to be gained and much to be risked in piecemeal action. Single carefully planned action such as we propose will of course bring Communist charges of violation of Armistice and much protest and propaganda but these would be greatly magnified by piecemeal action giving appearance of equivocation and indecisive-ness. Communists would try arouse other governments who might well counsel us against executing action and then be offended if we proceeded anyway. Moreover once announcement had been made we would probably have no alternative but proceed in end regardless re action under greater difficulties. We have been assessing situation almost three years now and if we are all agreed action necessary [Page 266] seems clear this is one of those situations where you can act or do nothing but are lost if you act indecisively.
Interval would magnify potential of ROK demonstrations and disorders particularly if interval lengthy or indefinite.
Note that U.S. is proposing provisional suspension UNC performance of certain provisions Armistice while Communists remain in default.
For Wellington and Paris and use at discretion by other posts: Swiss and Swedes never willing confront Communists with alternative their withdrawal and thus have no hope securing Communist agreement. They willing accept Communist suggestion reduce to one team. We deeply appreciative their efforts but consider further approaches useless. However we keeping Swiss and Swedes informed generally our consultations and when course action definitely agreed we would inform them beforehand giving them alternative of acting themselves.