Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1942, General; the British Commonwealth; the Far East, Volume I

895.01/67

The Chairman of the Korean Commission in the United States (Rhee) to the Secretary of State

Washington, February 7, 1942.

Sir: I enclose herewith letter addressed to you, dated June 6th, 1941;¹ Credential of my Government, dated the same day and year,² and letter to the President of the United States also of like date.

May I advise you that unofficially these papers were presented by me to the State Department in July of 1941 and shortly thereafter withdrawn; that they were resubmitted, again unofficially, immediately after December 7th, 1941, and withdrawn February 4th, 1942.

It now is the wish of my Government that these communications be presented officially to you for such action as you may deem wise in the circumstances.

Respectfully yours,

Syngman Rhee

[Enclosure]

The Executive Chief of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea (Kim) to President Roosevelt³

Chungking, June 6, 1941.

Sir: I have the honor to remind Your Excellency of the fact that, although the diplomatic intercourse opened between the United States and Korea in 1882⁴ was forcibly suspended in 1905,⁵ the cordial, friendly spirit and good will existing between our two peoples has never been interrupted. Now the changed situation in the Far East warrants the restoration of that friendly relationship for mutual benefit.

The Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, temporarily situated in Chungking, China, earnestly desires to re-open that friendly intercourse and it is hoped that their desire may be reciprocated by the Government and the people of the United States.

At a recent meeting of the Cabinet Ministers of the Korean Provisional Government, Dr. Syngman Rhee, Chairman of the Korean Commission in Washington, was appointed as the official representative of this Government, invested with full power and authority which he may exercise at his own discretion in all diplomatic dealings with the Government of the United States.

By virtue of the authority vested in me as Executive Chief of the Korean Provisional Government, I beseech Your Excellency to receive him and the message he is instructed to present in behalf of the 23,000,000 Korean people suffering under an alien domination.

I take this occasion to assure Your Excellency of my highest consideration and best wishes for your great Republic.

Yours very respectfully,

Kim Ku

1. Not printed; letter sent by “Joe So-ang”, usually transliterated as Tjosowang.
2. Not printed.
3. Filed separately under 895.01/49½.
4. See Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce and Navigation signed May 22, 1882, William M. Malloy (ed.), Treaties, Conventions, etc., between the United States of America and Other Powers, 1776–1909 (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1910), vol. i, p. 334.
5. In the agreement of November 17, 1905, between the Governments of Japan and Korea, Japan assumed control over Korea’s foreign affairs; for text of agreement, see Foreign Relations, 1905, p. 612.