Office of the Historian

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

Seoul, December 16, 1965, 0930Z.

598. For Bundy, FE. Subject: Further Korean Troops to Vietnam.

1.
This afternoon I called on President Park and gave him a full exposition of our appraisal of the situation in South Vietnam, of our plans for augmentation of U.S. forces there, our efforts to get further contributions from Asian countries and their probable results, and asked his reaction to the possibility of the contribution of further Korean division by July and a brigade by October. I said that the U.S. would be prepared to see that the physical security of Korea would not be impaired by such a contribution and that no added economic burden be placed on Korea because of it.
2.
The President said this was a matter which he would have to consider very carefully. It might perhaps be well, having once contributed combat forces, to add to that contribution and try to help get it over as soon as possible, but he had to consider the National Assembly,2 Korean public opinion and many other matters before reaching any decision. He said he would like the fact of my approach kept a secret. He would mention it only to his Prime Minister and Minister National Defense and hoped that complete silence on this point would be obtained in Washington and Saigon as well as in Seoul.
3.
He agreed that the sole channel of communication between the two governments on this matter should be in Seoul.
4.
It was left that he would get in touch with me when he was ready to talk fuller.
5.
Comment: I got the impression that the President felt this was going to be a very sticky problem for him and that, on first reaction, although anxious to be helpful, he was by no means clear in his own mind as to what the right course for Korea should be.
6.
Full Memcon follows.3
Brown
  1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL 27–3 VIET S. Top Secret; Priority; Limdis. Repeated to Saigon Eyes Only for the Ambassador, Department of Defense for McNaughton, and CINCPAC.↩
  2. Brown reported separately in telegram 605 from Seoul, December 17, that Pak also expressed regret that earlier in the year he had asked the Assembly to approve a specific number of troops for Vietnam rather than request blanket authorization to dispatch what he determined to be appropriate numbers of troops. (Ibid.)↩
  3. Not found, but telegram 605 from Seoul, December 17, contains a detailed summary of the Pak-Brown discussion of issues pertaining to Vietnam.↩