740.00119 Control (Korea)/5–946: Telegram
Lieutenant General John R. Hodge to the Secretary of State
[Received May 9—10:18 a.m.]
Following is a press release to be made here at 099910Z local time.83
When the Joint Commission commenced discussions on the formation of a provisional government the Soviet delegation proposed that all Korean elements which “had voiced opposition to the Moscow decision” be excluded from participation in the formation of the provisional government. The American delegation opposed any such exclusion rule on the ground that it denied the Koreans the fundamental democratic right of freedom of expression. When the Moscow decision on Korea was made public all parties and party leaders in southern Korea practically without exception expressed opposition to that provision of the decision which saw the establishment of trusteeship in Korea. The vast majority of southern Korea objected to this clause because they believed that it might unduly postpone their independence. Subsequently a minority of southern parties dominated by an inspired group abruptly reversed their position on this. [However?] exceptional dislike of trusteeship prevails to this day throughout the south. After prolonged negotiations the Soviet delegation offered as a compromise to consult with parties and organizations declaring their future support of the Moscow decision and publicly “denouncing the leadership which has misled them.” Further, such leaders were to be excluded from any participation in the future provisional government of Korea. The American delegation rejected this suggestion on the ground that it amounted to a dictated purge of parties and was not in accord with the American conception of democratic political activity. As a result of 4 weeks of negotiation the Joint Commission agreed to require a reasonable degree of cooperation on the part of democratic parties and social organizations which were to be consulted. This agreement published in communiqué No. 584 did not require support of trusteeship but merely that parties and organizations to be consulted should “cooperate with the Commission in the working out of proposals concerning measures” regarding the trusteeship. In other words parties and organizations would be free to express themselves against a possible trusteeship [Page 666] when the Commission undertook the working out of recommendations on the matter. This was clear in the declaration itself and was made a matter of record by the American delegation when the agreement was reached. Furthermore, in a number of explanatory statements the American Commander publicly stated that, no matter what form trusteeship might or might not take, southern Koreans were free to speak their minds on the subject. Having made this agreement and having thus in the view of the American delegation disposed of the problem of exclusion from participation in the formation of a government, the Commission was later presented with an additional proposal by the Soviet delegation to exclude representatives of the democratic parties and social organizations those who “actively oppose the Moscow decision.” As this appears to be a violation of its previous agreement and was clearly contrary to the principle of freedom of expression the American delegation refused to agree to the Soviet proposal. However, in order to facilitate the progress of work it was offered to discuss in the Commission the eligibility of a representative if the issue were raised in individual cases. The Soviet delegation, however, insisted that a statement be published “warning” the organizations not to select representatives who were “opposed to the Moscow decision.” Discussions on this point were still in progress when the Soviet delegation informed the Commission that all parties and organizations affiliated with the Representative Democratic Council of Southern Korea, an advisory body to the American Commander, were considered by it to be ineligible for consultation because of a statement of the acting chairman of the council whom the Soviet delegation quoted as follows:
“After detailed discussion of communiqué No. 5 we have decided that signing the declaration means cooperation with the American-Soviet Joint Commission in the matter of forming a provisional government and that after the government is formed we may express our opposition to trusteeship.”
The Soviet delegation made it clear that it was not prepared to consult with these parties unless and until they renounced such views despite the fact that they signed the declaration in communiqué No. 5.
Inasmuch as the new situation thus created by the Soviet delegation will inevitably involve considerable delay in forming a provisional government in addition to the 6 weeks already devoted to the question, the American delegation suggested that pending clarification of the point the Commission undertake to remove the 38 degree parallel boundary as an obstacle to the reunification of Korea. The Soviet delegation refused to consider this proposal. Since there was no other task that the Commission could take up at this stage the American delegation was left with no alternative but to ask for an adjournment [Page 667] of the Commission. This was agreed to and the Commission adjourned on 6 May, 1946, sine die.85
Pending clarification of the matter of consultation in accordance with established democratic principles the American Command in Southern Korea has permitted complete freedom of expression for all elements of the political community to the limit contingent with military security. In the exercise of their right political parties and leaders have been free to express their objections to the trusteeships clause just as others have been free consistently and actively to criticize the policies of the American Command. To deny any democratic elements a voice in the formation of a Korean Government would mean penalizing them for expressing their views and denying them a right which has been enjoyed impartially by all parties and organizations in southern Korea since the American troops liberated it.
It is not the purpose of the American delegation to defend any school of political thought or to permit obstruction to the fulfillment of the Moscow decision nor is the American delegation defending the views of those who believe that trusteeship may unduly delay Korea’s independence. However, it cannot and will not agree to any action by the Joint Commission which would deny more than 100 Korean democratic parties and social organizations the right guaranteed by the Moscow decision to participation in the formation of their own government simply because they have expressed honestly and openly their preference for immediate independence rather than for trusteeship. To agree to such an exclusion would not merely mean the elimination from political activity of all but a small group who have submitted to the prospect of trusteeship but would violate the universally acknowledged right for all people to freedom of expression promised them in the Atlantic Charter.
- Text of General Hodge’s press release was sent in telegram 2239, May 10, to Paris, for the Secretary of State.↩
- For text of communiqué No. 5 on decision adopted at session of April 17, see Department of State publication 2933, Far Eastern Series 18: Korea’s Independence (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1947), p. 19.↩
- Official minutes of the sessions from March 20 to May 6, “when the proceedings were suspended because of disagreement”, were transmitted to the Department with despatch 26, May 17, from Seoul (740.00119 Control (Korea)/5–1746).↩