Editorial Note
On the evening of Saturday, June 23, the Soviet Representative at the United Nations, Yakov Malik, delivered a radio broadcast on “The [Page 547] Price of Peace”, the thirteenth in a series sponsored by the United Nations radio. In the course of his address, which was generally critical of United States postwar policy, Mr. Malik stated that the Soviet Union based its policy on the possibility of the peaceful coexistence of the two systems, socialism and capitalism. The address concluded with the following words:
“The Soviet Union will continue its struggle to strengthen peace and avert a new world war. The peoples of the Soviet Union believe that it is possible to defend the cause of peace.
“The Soviet peoples further believe that the most acute problem of the present day—the problem of the armed conflict in Korea—could also be settled.
“This would require the readiness of the parties to enter on the path of a peaceful settlement of the Korean question. The Soviet peoples believe that as a first step discussions should be started between the belligerents for a cease-fire and an armistice providing for the mutual withdrawal of forces from the thirty-eighth parallel.
“Can such a step be taken?
“I think it can, provided there is a sincere desire to put an end to the bloody fighting in Korea.
“I think that, surely, is not too great a price to pay in order to achieve peace in Korea.”
An advance copy of the text was dispatched to the Department of State in niact telegram 1705, June 23, 3:50 p. m. from New York (310.361/6–2351), and the Department issued the following statement on the same day:
“If Mr. Malik’s broadcast means that the Communists are now willing to end the aggression in Korea, we are, as we have always been, ready to play our part in bringing an end to hostilities and in assuring against their resumption. But the tenor of Mr. Malik’s speech again raises the question as to whether this is more than propaganda. If it is more than propaganda, adequate means for discussing an end to the conflict are available.” (Department of State Bulletin, July 9, 1951, page 45)
Two days later, on June 25, near the conclusion of an address given at noon at Tullahoma, Tennessee, President Truman made the following remarks:
“We are ready to join in a peaceful settlement in Korea now, just as we have always been. But it must be a real settlement which fully ends the aggression and restores peace and security to the area and to the gallant people of Korea.
“In Korea and in the rest of the world we must be ready to take any steps which truly advance us toward world peace. But we must avoid like the plague rash actions which would take unnecessary risks of world war or weak actions which would reward aggression.” (Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Harry S. Truman, 1951, pages 362–363)