Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XXIX, Part 1, Korea

174. Telegram From the Embassy in Korea to the Department of State¹

Seoul, February 10, 1968, 1110Z.

4142. Subject: ROKG Plans for Vance Visit.

1. Stating he acting on instructions from FonMin, MOFA International Affairs Bureau Director called Pol Counselor to his office to discuss subjects ROKs will wish to raise with Vance.

2. He led into this subject by stating that ROKG is placing great expectations on Vance’s visit, which could be real turning point in ROK/US relations. He said ROKG and entire Korean people hoped that Vance, a special emissary of President Johnson, would not let ROK down, and in this context he referred to “failure” of 1953 visit under similar tense circumstances by Asst Secty Walter Robertson.

3. He then alluded to the fact that MOFA had been instructed by Blue House to prepare position paper for Vance and general outline of joint Park/Vance communique and USG/ROK joint declaration. He said that latter two should deal with three major points:

A. The question of Operational Control: He said that ROKs understood need to have CINCUNC retain operational control of ROK forces but that there should be some change in rules of game. It seemed strange, he said, to ROK that when intruders penetrated deep into ROK territory,ROK military commanders should have to seek CINC’s permission to use ROK combat troops to destroy intruding forces. System should be changed to permit ROK commanders immediately to deploy against intruders, perhaps notifying CINCUNC that ROK forces had been withdrawn from his operational control for such purposes. Furthermore, when intruders ventured into ROK territory and were engaged by ROK and US forces, rules of game should permit application of principle of hot pursuit; ROKs should not have to stop south of MDL.

B. Punitive Measures: US and ROK should make it clear to enemy and to rest of world that they will not permit North Korea conduct aggressive acts against ROK without fear of retaliation. US and ROK should announce that if intrusions continue, they will physically punish NK by striking at root source of NK aggression. Not only should this warning be made unequivocally clear in words of the governments, but some punitive action must be taken next time North Koreans strike. He suggested that NK guerrilla training camps might make suitable targets and said that if they were wiped out it would not mean local much less general war.

C. US Commitment: He said that most sophisticated Koreans are aware that President Johnson has authority to order US forces into combat without explicit Congressional approval and that ROK and RVN would not exist today were this not so. ROK populace, however, suffers from trauma from Korean War which has been reopened by US unwillingness to take military action following Blue House raid and Pueblo incident. People doubt that US will actually commit its forces to defend them in case NK aggression continues and are especially concerned over language in Mutual Defense Treaty which says that each party will act in “accordance to its constitutional process.” What is needed, he said, is some flat statement in document to which USG is party which spells out fact that President Johnson can commit US forces without time-consuming Congressional debate and approval.²

4. Pol Counselor led him carefully through all the difficulties which surround each of propositions. Director agreed that ROKG was aiming high, but held firmly to position that something dramatic of nature he had described must come out of Vance’s visit.

Porter

1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 33–6 KOR N–US. Secret; Immediate;Nodis; Cactus. A typed copy of this telegram was given to President Johnson under a February 10 covering memorandum from Rostow that indicates that the President saw the telegram. (Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Korea—Pueblo Incident—Cactus IV, Cactus Miscellaneous Papers, February to December 1968)
2. In a later discussion with Porter the Foreign Minister referred to a 1953 secret agreement between the United States and Korea of which Porter had no knowledge. (Telegram 4177 from Seoul, February 12; National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 33–6 KOR N–US) Other ROKG officials and the Korean media made reference to a U.S. arrangement with the Philippines as well as to the NATO agreement, both of which committed the United States to respond automatically to any acts of aggression against those partners. The Koreans wanted the same type of unequivocal statement in their defense agreement with the United States. (Telegram 4159 from Seoul, February 12; ibid.) The Department of State responded that the U.S. Government had “made no secret defense commitments to either Korea or Philippines” quoting official statements that an armed attack against the Philippines would be considered an armed attack against the United States, which it believed the Koreans may have had in mind when making their demands. (Telegram 113906 to Seoul, February 12; ibid.) The issue continued to be raised by Korean officials. (Telegram 4596 from Seoul, February 29, and airgram A–431 from Seoul, March 7; both ibid., DEF 4 KOR S-US)