795.00/4–1251
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Officer in Charge of Korean Affairs (Emmons)
Subject: Statement concerning the Korean Situation
| Participants: | Mr. Tomlinson, Counselor of the British Embassy |
| Mr. Rusk, Assistant Secretary, FE | |
| Mr. Emmons, Officer in Charge, Korean Affairs |
Mr. Tomlinson called on Mr. Rusk at 2:30 this afternoon at his request. He asked Mr. Rusk whether for the moment we contemplated making a further statement on the situation in relation to Korea or whether the President’s statement of last evening in our opinion would suffice, and did we consider this the statement about which we had been talking all along? Mr. Rusk replied that for the moment it seemed to us wise to allow the facts of the situation to sort themselves out and settle down for a few days before taking any further step in relation to the present situation and that, in a sense, this had been [Page 338] the statement, although perhaps we might consider further action along this line at a later date. He pointed out that we had not only a domestic problem in relation to Korea at the present time but the reaction to the President’s statement had not yet been received either from the Communist side or in terms of other foreign opinion. He therefore felt that for the moment it was unlikely that we would want to take any further step of this kind.
Mr. Tomlinson then showed Mr. Rusk the text of a cable from the British Foreign Office in which it was indicated that Mr. Morrison felt that the time was propitious for further efforts towards peaceful negotiation, despite the fact that the Communists in Korea might be building up for an offensive. Mr. Morrison wondered whether the United States government contemplated making a further statement on the situation or would support the idea of a United Nations effort along this line, which he seemed to feel advisable. The cable indicated that Mr. Morrison believed that, if the United States government contemplated no further statement at this time, he himself should make a statement along the general lines which had been already communicated to the State Department.1 Mr. Rusk reiterated that we did not at the moment contemplate any further statement.
Mr. Rusk asked Mr. Tomlinson whether there had been any reaction yet from England to the President’s statement. Mr. Tomlinson replied that it was still too early to have received the British reaction but that he thought in general the speech had been a good one and would be received with satisfaction.
There then followed a brief discussion of certain aspects of the military situation, which Mr. Rusk mentioned he would be taking up with the British Ambassador.