Office of the Historian

795.00/10–2150: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Embassy in Korea

confidential
Washington, October 23, 1950—6 p. m.

234. Difficult reconcile statements Rhee made to Emb as reported urtel 278, Oct 20 and 284, Oct 21, with his purported interview with US News and World Report summarized immediate preceding tel.1 Needless to say, publication interview will again exacerbate relations between UN and Govt ROK and cannot but operate disadvantage Govt of ROK.

Suggest you strongly urge to Rhee desirability immediately making carefully studied public statement containing points 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6, mentioned urtel 284.

Point 6 shld be expressed in terms difficulty GOK intelligently cooperating with Interim Comite decisions unless consulted with regard thereto.2

Acheson
  1. Reference is to telegram 232 to Seoul, supra.↩

  2. The following message was sent to Seoul in telegram 239, October 24, 7 p. m.:

    “With further ref Deptel 234 Oct 23 any such statement by Rhee shld under point 6 take into account (a) provisional character of Korean IC Oct 12 res, pending UNCURK consideration and (b) fact it was addressed to Unified Command rather than to ROK. These circumstances lead us to conclude IC consultation with ROK prior to its adoption was not indispensable.

    Shld likewise be borne in mind Limb was heard by IC on Oct 17.” (357.AD/10–2450)

    ↩