895.00/7–1047: Telegram
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur to the Secretary of State
priority
Cite C–53942. The following is message from General Hodge dated 9 July 1947 on subject of political turmoil in Korea which supplements ourad C–53768.26
“Political unrest in Korea is growing and becoming more violent as the meeting of the Joint Commission goes on. The anti-trusteeship groups were caught off balance when the Joint Commission opened soon after the cheering Marshall–Molotov letter exchange ceased. As a result, they did not get their campaign under way in time to stop several rightist groups from agreeing to consult with the Joint Commission, after considerable persuasion by Americans here. As their anti-trusteeship (now becoming anti-Joint Commission, anti-Russian, and gradually anti-United States) campaign gets under way and the work of the Joint Commission drags because the Russians do not want to consult rightist groups and look for ways to avoid it, these anti groups are rapidly regaining some of their appeal among wild-eyed rightist youth groups, extreme rightists and refugees from North Korea. Threats and bold terroism on the part of rightest groups are on the increase and the voice of anti-trusteeship grows bolder and more blatant under the leadership of the still powerful Syngman Rhee. This activity may be expected to increase and there is evidence that it may go into an attempt to set up an unrecognized government. As news gets out concerning the activities of the Russians here and in North Korea, their delaying tactics and their manner of handling the recent consultations in North Korea, more Koreans tend to lose hope for the success of the parleys. There are indications that some of the more fainthearted rightist organizations who have signed up may withdraw from consultations with the Commission under renewed pressure from the extreme rightists. Such direction is almost sure to take place if and when it becomes apparent in consultations that the Russians do not tolerate any freedom of expression that includes objections to the Moscow decision. One tangible and bad result of machinations of the extreme rightists is that through growing propaganda to effect that the Americans are trying to force the Koreans into the hated trusteeship and communism, American prestige is definitely on the decline with the rightists who have heretofore been our bulwark of support.
I reiterate that there is no known education or hocus pocus that will explain away the word ‘trusteeship’ to where we can ever get any real [Page 697] cooperation by the majority of Koreans in South Korea with the work of the Joint Commission.
The current political terrorism and intensified hatred are spilling over into the Korean personnel in military government and the police. It appears impossible to keep any Koreans out of political factionism and skullduggery. As to getting Koreans, except Communists and their followers, to give any real support to or cooperation with the work of the Joint Commission, we have led part of the horses to water, but will not be able to make them drink so long as ‘trusteeship’ is in the picture. (Signed) Hodge.”