740.00119 Control (Korea)/5–2646: Telegram

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

restricted

79. New York Times article under Seoul date line May 23 states that: Col. Preston Goodfellow political adviser to Gen. Hodge is departing for Tokyo and US; principal accomplishment of Col. Good-fellow was organization of democratic Council; “explaining that his work had been completed Col. Goodfellow said today: ‘We’ve got to turn over to the Koreans as soon as possible the job of self-government’. He added that the Koreans were ready for self-government and that provincial elections should be held as soon as possible;” and that “Col. Goodfellow declared that if the Soviet delegation to the Joint US-Soviet Commission did not return to the deliberations here soon the Americans should go ahead with the job of setting up a separate government in Southern Korea”.

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Byrnes