Office of the Historian

740.00119 Control (Korea)/2–2046

The Political Adviser in Korea (Benninghoff) to the Secretary of State

secret
No. 21
Seoul, February 20, 1946.
[Received March 6.]

Sir: I have the honor to enclose a copy of the agreement signed by the chiefs of the United States and Soviet delegations at the recent U.S.–Soviet Joint Conference in regard to the establishment of the Joint Commission provided for in paragraph 2, Section III (Korea) of the Moscow Communiqué.

It will be noted that the Joint Commission is supposed to start its work not later than one month after the work of the recent Conference was completed.

In this connection, reference is made to my dispatch No. 19 dated February 15, 1946, enclosing copies of the agreements reached at the U.S.–Soviet Joint Conference.

Yours very truly,

H. Merrell Benninghoff
[Enclosure]

Agreement on Establishment of a Joint Commission, Signed at Seoul

Decision Concerning the Establishment of a Joint Commission of Representatives of the American Command in Southern Korea and the Soviet Command in Northern Korea

1.
The Soviet and American Military Commands, in accordance with Paragraph 2, Section III, of the Decision concerning Korea of the Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers of the Soviet Union, the U.S.A. and the United Kingdom, have agreed:
A.
To establish a 10-man Commission—5 members from the Soviet Command and 5 members from the American Command. The number of members of the Commission may be changed by mutual agreement of the Commands.
B.
To bring in the necessary number of advisors, experts and technical workers for the work of the Commission.
C.
Seoul, the capital city, is chosen as the permanent seat of the Joint Commission. When necessary, the Commission will visit Pyongyang. The Commission will consult with democratic political parties and social organizations of both south and north Korea. When necessary, the Commission will visit any other place in Korea.
D.
The Joint Commission will start its work not later than one month after the work of the present Conference of representatives of the Soviet and American Military Commands is completed.
E.
The Soviet and American Military Commands will submit to each other lists naming their members of this Commission.
F.
The order of the work of this Commission will be established at its first meeting.
A. V. Arnold

Major General, U.S.A. Chief of U. S. Delegation
T. F. Shtikov

Colonel General Chief of Soviet Delegation