501.BB Korea/2–2248: Telegram
Lieutenant General John R. Hodge to the Secretary of State
priority
Pass to Jacobs. Cite Zgcg 223. Menon’s report to UN interim assembly dropped on the Koreans with a dull and disheartening plop. The best thing about it is that he used so many words to say nothing that the Koreans do not understand what it is all about and will need several days to dig out and to understand that so far as the UNTCOK is concerned, Korea is to be left just where it was last September, except that the Soviet Zone will soon have an openly recognized satellite type govt. Menon’s reported departure from his set piece to deprecate any significance of the rapidly moving events in the Soviet Zone is typical of the general failure of UNTCOK to understand in any degree the “cold war” as waged in Korea since our occupation started.
Failure of UNTCOK to take any positive action or stand, its interference and fumbling in local politics, the patent lack of real interest in Korea on the part of some delegates, and the very determined effort on the part of some other delegates to aggrandize and build up the Communist elements has greatly lowered its initial prestige and broken up the confidence in and backing given to it by political leaders (except Communist) when it arrived. I have had an opportunity to study some of the hearings before sub-committee I and II, which are completely dominated by Patterson and Jackson, respectively. Questioning of witnesses is clearly intended to bring out the preconceived ideas of these two and the usual pattern is to read into the record at the end of [Page 1126] each conference their own willful interpretation of and their own conclusions of witnesses statements, selecting what fits their own ideas and discarding or discrediting the remainder. In general, the Patterson-Jackson pattern of thinking is that civil liberties and freedom in South Korea are not on par with stable Canada and Australia, respectively, therefore it is impossible to hold any elections. Neither has any concept or consideration of the bitter “cold war” against communism that goes on here and neither seems to understand that there is no sovereign Korean Government to guarantee a free election. The overall picture appears to be one of general appeasement of Soviet Russia by most delegates and all the secretariat.
With the disintegration of their initial confidence and hope that UNTCOK would lead them out of the wilderness, the Koreans are now beginning politically to scatter again. The Communist slogan of “immediate mutual withdrawal of US-USSR troops” is growing in volume and popularity. Kimm Kiusic informed me in confidence that his federation of “middle of the road parties” is coming under Communist control and that he has “resigned” in the effort to get it back in hand, but has little hope of so doing. The fight is in the open on the floor of the legislative assembly where the rightists are trying to put over a resolution asking the Little Assembly to direct an election in South Korea under Resolution II and the “middle of the road” and leftist elements are fighting it down. Extremely harsh words and the lack [sic] of physical violence (both unusual on the floor) have passed frequently. Part of this fight against elections in South Korea is definitely Communist activity and part of it, including current opposition by many really patriotic Koreans, is due to a quirk of psychology that leads them to feel that if on their own initiative they demand election in South Korea, they are demanding a permanent split of their nation and fall in the traitor category. This patriotic, nationalist class does not face the fact that their country is already split. However, all of them I have been able to reach say that if the UN Little Assembly directs an election in South Korea they will cooperate fully. The Communist-controlled group including Lyuh Woonhong, Won Sei Hoon, Whang Chin Nic, Chang Kun Sing, etc., who constitute the leftist fringe that was given big face as leaders by UNTCOK sub-Committee II are taking advantage of the confusion to join the Communist chant for the withdrawal of both forces. They are reported to be meeting today with several hundred of their comrades and followers to approve resolutions to that effect.
With this growing confusion and a soon to be announced sovereign national Korean Government in North Korea, which the Communist stooges in South Korea will hold up to an ignorant people in South Korea as their “own democratic government established by the people [Page 1127] themselves”, we may as well prepare for a great resurgence of Communist influence in South Korea. In fact, I am ready to say it has already started, aided not a little by the great concern shown for Communist opinion on the part of UNTCOK, as well as UNTCOK’s patent fumbling and indecision.
It is my opinion that any further delay in positive action in South Korea will be fatal. If the Little Assembly shows indecision, we must be prepared to take direct action to establish a Korean Government in South Korea and back it strongly, including adequate security. If the “Little Assembly” decides to proceed only to carry out Resolution I by the General Assembly, I recommend that we immediately announce that the representatives thus elected will be utilized to form a Korean Government to operate in the United States Zone in the interim.
See also my Zgcg 190 dated 14 February 1948.