Office of the Historian

795.00/3–1951

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Director of the Policy Planning Staff (Nitze)

top secret
[Washington,] March 19, 1951.

Subject: Korea

Participants: Secretary Acheson, Dean Rusk, Paul H. Nitze
Secretary Marshall, Robert A. Lovett, General Bradley, General Collins, Admiral Sherman, General Vandenberg

Secretary Acheson made an initial presentation based upon the outline prepared the night before by Mr. Rusk and as amended in the Secretary’s office the next morning.1

General Collins presented the views of the JCS as to the line to [Page 247] which the U.N. forces should attempt to advance and then hold in north Korea. This line was roughly diagonal, running northeast from the Imjin River to Wonsan. He described the relationship of this line to the problem of maintaining sufficient air space between it and the Yalu River, and its desirability from the point of view of dominating the major lines of lateral communication.

General Marshall questioned the security of such a line, particularly the northeastern flank, if it were contemplated that that flank was to be held with south Korean troops. The JCS indicated that they would give further consideration to the problem.

  1. Mr. Acheson’s presentation dealt with the proposed statement defining the Unified Command’s policy aims in, Korea, which Mr. Rusk had mentioned at the briefing of Ambassadors on March 16 (p. 235). No record has been found of the meetings alluded to involving Mr. Acheson and Mr. Rusk.

    A more detailed account of this discussion on the proposed statement is given in Record of the Actions Taken by the Joint Chiefs of Staff Relative to the United Nations Operations in Korea From 25 June 1950 to 11 April 1951 Prepared by Them for the Senate Armed Forces and Foreign Relations Committees, dated April 30, 1951, p. 100. It read as follows:

    “On 19 March 1951, the Joint Chiefs of Staff held another informal discussion with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State on the subject of ‘Future Courses of Action in Korea.’ The draft of a proposed Presidential declaration on the Korean situation, which had been prepared by the Department of State, was discussed. It was agreed that a message would be sent to General MacArthur to the effect that the Department of State was working on a Presidential announcement and CINCFE was to be queried as to the authority he would need for the next two weeks or so. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Secretary of State agreed to incorporate the suggestions of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and those of the Secretary of Defense in a redraft by the Department of State of the proposed Presidential directive.”

    For the comments of the Joint Chiefs and Secretary Marshall on the Department of State draft, see the memorandum from Marshall to Acheson, March 21, p. 252.

    ↩