Lot 55D128: Black Book, Tab 61: Telegram

The Commander in Chief, United Nations Command (Ridgway) to the Joint Chiefs of Staff

secret   priority

HNC–065. CINCFE personal for Hickey.

1. Further to my HNC 063. United Nations Command Liaison Officer landed at Kaesong 121030K, and was met by the Chinese Liaison Officer. Admiral Joy’s message was delivered. At about this time Colonel Chang, North Korean Army, the Senior Liaison Officer arrived and took over the discussion. He required the letter to be read to him and gave this reply. “Please tell your Commander there wasn’t any such thing as is written here. There was only a case in which we stopped newsmen coming through the line. So they all withdrew. Now I would like to relay this message to your senior delegate. It is now already past the meeting time. Why are you not here for the conference? If it is only because of the question of newsmen I shall inform you once again of the opinion of our senior delegate. We are in favor of having newsmen from both sides come to Kaesong at the opportune time. When agreement is reached on our negotiations we shall welcome newsmen to come here to do their press coverage. We wish that we could state a definite date and we hope that such a date will arrive very soon but this depends on the efforts made by both sides during the conference and cannot be determined by our side alone.” Colonel Chang then requested the Liaison Officer to remain at the airfield until he could show the letter to his senior delegate. At 12:45 both North Korean and Chinese Liaison Officers returned with the following message, “our senior delegate has received the message of your senior delegate. He will give answer to your senior delegate by means of wireless telephone or by other means. In case the wireless telephone does not function normally, I expect to meet your Liaison Officer at the airfield by 0630 Pyongyang time. Signed Chang Chun Sam, Liaison Officer.”

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2. No further movement of United Nations Command delegation to conference site will be made until satisfactory reply is received from Communist delegation.