Office of the Historian

761.56/9–150

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Acting Officer in Charge of Economic Affairs in the Office of Eastern European Affairs (Truesdell)

[Washington,] September 1, 1950.

Captain Orem1 called to give the Department advance notice of the use of two PF Frigates, returned by the USSR under the United [Page 1314] States-Soviet Master Lend-Lease Agreement, in the Korean conflict. He said that as a result of the conferences in the Far East between Admiral Sherman,2 General Collins,3 et al, it had been decided to utilize two of these frigates which were held by the U.S. Navy in Tokyo Bay to reinforce the South Korean Navy. He said that the ships would be manned by the South Koreans. He also stated that this action was taken as an emergency measure and it had not been possible to consult the State Department. The State Department, however, is being advised by letter. Captain Orem stated that it was realized that this might afford the Soviets some propaganda advantage. I thanked Captain Orem and told him that I would make this known in the Department.4

G[eorge] E. T[ruesdell]
  1. Captain Howard E. Orem was the Assistant Chief of Naval Operations.↩
  2. Adm. Forrest P. Sherman was the Chief of Naval Operations.↩
  3. General J. Lawton Collins was Chief of Staff of the United States Army.↩
  4. Captain Orem called again on September 14 to say that the Department of the Navy was instructing its Commandant in Tokyo to transfer the two frigates immediately to the government of the Republic of Korea by simple receipt. (761.56/9–1450)↩