895.00/11–1747: Telegram
The Political Adviser in Korea (Jacobs) to the Secretary of State
475. Cite Zpol 1384. At conclusion of city of Seoul official (purely Korean) celebration in Seoul stadium on November 15 of the 4280 anniversary of the founding of Korea, which was attended by about 25,000 people, some of Rhee’s followers took advantage of occasion to read and adopted [adopt?] “resolutions”. About midway of the reading of the resolutions the small Soviet flag (among flags of five other Allied Powers on the speakers’ stand) was kicked over while the crowd cheered.
The nature of the resolutions was as follows:
- 1.
- One resolution condemned members of the interim government who participated in the preparation of the “policy outline” (transmitted to Department with Seoul despatch No. 109, October 10) by which they sought to consolidate their political power.
- 2.
- Another resolution praised the new military governor, General Dean,70 who was stated to favor a policy of turning over the government to Koreans as desired by the rightist followers of Rhee. The nature of the resolution is such as to constitute a backhanded slap at [Page 860] General Hodge who by implication is indicated as opposing that policy.
- 3.
- A third resolution condemns 12 centrist or middle-of-the-road parties as being the agencies through which the “Communist traitors” are now working.
- 4.
- The other two resolutions relate to the future election and are thus the most important. One of these states that “we are now in the process of carrying out this election and we hope that there will be no misunderstanding about it”. The other states that preparations for an election (promised by the State Department and General Hodge) have been going on for many months and “our election committees (Dr. Rhee’s) are in every province, country and district”. It demands that General Hodge set the date for the election before the end of this year and “announce it immediately” and threatens that if he does not, “we shall be compelled to go ahead with our program”.
We need some definite news soonest regarding the election so that we can officially advise the Korean people by radio, press, and pamphlets what the future election schedule is going to be even if the information so broadcast is merely to the effect that the election plans will be announced after the arrival of the UN Commission. Such action will help to clear the atmosphere for the Korean masses who, in the absence of any official statement from the American authorities, are becoming more and more bewildered by the aggressive tactics of Rhee’s followers. Such action will also help curb the political capital which Rhee is now making over this election issue. In considering the foregoing, especially paragraph 4, please see Seoul PolAd No. 468, November 11,71 and comment in first paragraph of Seoul PolAd No. 470, November 12.