795.00/12–1950
Memorandum by the Ambassador at Large (Jessup) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Rusk)
It is suggested that Ambassador Boheman might be asked to call and that he be told we think it would be possible for the Swedish Ambassador at Peiping to speak to the Chinese Government along the following lines.
The Swedish Government has noted the statement of Vice Minister Chang to the effect that the United States had not so far given a concrete opinion about hoping for a peaceful settlement. The Chinese Government of course knows that the Swedish Government has very friendly relations with the United States. It is in a position to inform the Chinese Government that it believes that the United States desires a peaceful solution of the Korean conflict. More specifically, it believes that the United States Government would be willing for its part to support a reasonable arrangement for a cease-fire in Korea. The Swedish Government believes that the United States would not be willing to make any arrangements which were not approved through the appropriate channels of the UN but the Swedish Government, as a member of the United Nations, believes that the appropriate UN bodies would also support such an arrangement. The Swedish Government [Page 1577] further believes that if a cease-fire could be arranged it would thereafter be possible to initiate discussions either formally or informally about the solution of other problems in the Far East. It believes it possible, for example, to consider in regard to Korea arrangements for the withdrawal from the country of all non-Korean forces provided that a UN Commission suitably composed could participate in assisting in the process. (If questioned on the point it would be possible for the Swedish Ambassador to say that he did not anticipate difficulty in having a representative of the Peiping Government included in such a Commission.) In response to other questions he could also indicate that if the negotiations were arranged there is no reason to believe that any subject would be excluded from the agenda of such talks. He would not be in a position, however, to suggest what solutions of any of the problems might be agreed to if such talks should be initiated. It would be one of the purposes of the talks to explore possibilities of agreed solutions.