Office of the Historian

695.0031/4–947

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

confidential
No. 75
Washington, June 4, 1947.

The Secretary of State transmits herewith for such action as may be deemed appropriate a copy of a letter of April 9, 1947 from the Trade Association of Korea to the Secretary of State88 regarding the development of Korea’s foreign trade and the relationship of the U.S. Commercial Company to that trade.

With respect to Korea’s foreign trade, this Government has taken the position that Korean traders should handle the shipment of Korean products to world markets to the greatest possible extent. It is not contemplated that U.S. Commercial Company assistance to Military Government in Korea in selling those Korean products abroad which cannot be handled by private traders at the present time should in any way impede the participation of Korean merchants in foreign trade. Instructions with respect to the restoration of private trade with Korea are to be published by the War Department within the immediate future,89 and it is believed that the public announcement accompanying the issuance of such instructions should afford a satisfactory basis for reply to the Trade Association’s letter.

  1. Not printed.↩
  2. The decision on opening Korea trade was forwarded on May 29 to Seoul.↩