740.00119 PW/7–346
President Truman to Ambassador Edwin W. Pauley, at Paris26
My Dear Mr. Pauley: I have given further consideration to your informative letter of June 22, 1946, on the Korean situation. I agree with you that Korea is, as you so aptly phrase it, “an ideological battleground upon which our entire success in Asia may depend”. Korea has been for many decades the focus of international rivalries and I consider one of the principal objectives of our policy there to be to prevent Korea from again becoming the source of future conflict.
Your recommendations, it seems to me, fall into two general categories—those calling for efforts on our part to persuade the Soviet Union to comply with the Moscow Agreement and those calling for action within Korea. While I agree that we should continue our efforts to persuade the Soviet Union to comply with the spirit and terms of the Moscow Agreement of last December, I believe that the most effective way to meet the situation in Korea is to intensify and persevere in our present efforts to build up a self-governing and democratic Korea, neither subservient to nor menacing any power.
You will be glad to learn that we are incorporating into our revised policy for Korea most of your recommendations for specific action there. We intend to carry on an informational and educational campaign to sell to the Koreans our form of democracy and for this purpose to send American teachers to Korea and Korean students and teachers to this country. I also hope that a considerable number of Korean engineers can be trained here and that American engineers can go to Korea to assist in the rebuilding of its industries.
In reference to your recommendations regarding the use of Japanese reparations for the industrial revival of Korea, your suggestion [Page 714] that the United States assign some of its share of Japanese industrial equipment to Korea appeals to me more than your suggestion that we attempt to obtain an agreement, against probable opposition by some of the Allied Powers, to the principle that Korea has a right to share in Japanese reparations. In reference to your suggestion of participation of private American capital in Korea, I question the advisability of such action prior to the establishment of a Korean Government, except on a restricted and carefully controlled basis.
Some of the other points in our present policy which will interest you are:
- (1)
- Broadening the basis for Korean participation in the administration of south Korea by holding elections for key local and provincial posts and by creating a legislative assembly, in part elective, to replace the present Representative Democratic Council. Obviously, we cannot set up a separate government for south Korea, but the creation of a more representative consultative body may make it easier for us to negotiate in the future with the Soviets for the establishment of a Korean Provisional Government.
- (2)
- Assisting the Koreans in establishing a free and revitalized educational system.
- (3)
- Assisting the Koreans in establishing a strong independent economy which will provide as high a standard of living and as great economic security as their resources and technological development would permit.
- (4)
- Assisting the Koreans in initiating a broad program of economic reform.
The furtherance of our policy of winning Korean support for our concept of democracy and for our program of action within Korea can be effective in facilitating agreement with the Soviets. By making possible the formulation and execution of liberal reforms such as land redistribution and the nationalization of certain industries, which are desired by a majority of Koreans, this policy should also help to broaden the basis for an understanding with the Russians.
Our commitments for the establishment of an independent Korea require that we stay in Korea long enough to see the job through and that we have adequate personnel and sufficient funds to do a good job. I am, therefore, requesting the agencies concerned to see that means are found to insure that General Hodge has the men and funds he needs to attain our objectives.
Sincerely yours,
- This letter was based on a draft prepared in the Department in line with a memorandum on July 6 by John Carter Vincent, Director of the Office of Far Eastern Affairs, addressed to the Under Secretary of State (Acheson).↩