Office of the Historian

740.00119 Control (Korea)/5–2447: Telegram

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

secret
Seoul, May 24, 1947.

122. Cite Zpol 704. Summary of 26th meeting Joint Commission May 23 follows: Meeting opened with our proposal to rewrite last year’s decision number 2 governing joint press releases as follows:

  • “1. The attention of the world is focused on the proceedings of the US–USSR Joint Commission. The Korean people are vitally interested in the efforts of the Joint Commission to assist in the formation of a Korean government. Recognizing these facts, the Commission resolved to publish detailed joint communiqués regarding the work of the Commission after the settlement of each major question or at other times decided by the Commissioners. Each Chief Commissioner at his discretion may meet with the press and inform them on matters not of a secret nature.
  • 2. The proceedings of the closed sessions of the Joint Commission and of its committees, subcommittees and other subordinate agencies shall be considered secret and any matter pertaining to them will be divulged only as specified in paragraph 1 above.”

Soviets rejected our proposal and argued for adoption of text of old decision on ground it worked satisfactorily. We pointed out that old arrangement for a joint communiqué after each decision was too restrictive to meet current local and world interest in Commission’s work and demands for information of numerous American and European correspondents who have come to Seoul especially to cover the Commission’s progress. Against further Soviet obduracy, we proposed to proceed without any rules concerning publicity, allowing each Chief Commissioner to use his own discretion as to how to keep the press informed without at the same time injuring the Commission’s work. The Soviets seemed taken aback and implied it might be an intention to use the press to force the hand of the other side. General Brown gave assurances that this was not his intent in seeking freedom to issue unilateral news bulletins. Debate followed for a considerable time with [Page 653] each side attempting, by revision of or additions to old and proposed text, to obtain agreement to its wishes. Finally General Brown proposed that last year’s decision be adopted with a minute placed on the record as follows: “Each Chief Commissioner shall have the right to meet the press at his discretion to inform it about the work of the Joint Commission not of a secret nature.” The Soviets accepted this motion, whereupon the meeting adjourned having lasted some 2½ hours.

Informality and good humor continued to characterize the atmosphere of this meeting.

Langdon