Lot 55D128: Black Book, Tab 20: Telegram
The Commander in Chief, Far East (Ridgway) to the Joint Chiefs of Staff
priority
CX–68655. This message in 3 Parts.
Part 1. Armistice conferences resumed at 1330K, 10 August. During meeting today, Admiral Joy will positively re-affirm to the Communist delegation our position regarding the safety of Communist Delegation vehicles from UNC air attacks. He will also refute Communist charges of violations of neutral zone by UNC patrols by presenting report of investigation, with maps and copies of statements of appropriate commanders. All such Communist charges, without exception, are false.
Part 2. The Communist Liaison Officer delivered the following message to the UNC Liaison Officer at 0915K, 10 August at Pan Mun Jom:
“I have received your reply concerning the machine-gunning by your airplanes of a supply truck of our delegation carrying a white flag and with a white cloth over its hood. Your reply is completely unsatisfactory.
[Page 800]“Regarding the question that aircraft of your side should not attack vehicles of our delegation carrying white flags at the preparatory meeting of the Liaison Officers of both sides on July 8, we never agreed to your request that there should be prior notification of the route and time of travel. The statement in your message that we furnished notification to the Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations Forces of the time and route of transit of our convoy proceeding to Kaesong on July 9 is sheer fabrication. This is sufficient to prove that we have never agreed to your above-mentioned request. In fact, since the preparatory meeting of the Liaison Officers of both sides, we have never notified your side of the time and route of travel of the vehicles of our delegation carrying white flags. We have consistently held that, after the preparatory meeting of the Liaison Officers of both sides, there should no longer be any necessity for prior notification to your side of the time and route of travel of vehicles of our delegation carrying white flags.
“On July 21, your Liaison Officer Colonel Kinney further clearly agreed that all vehicles of our delegation with markings of white flags and white cloth would not be attacked and it would not be necessary to give prior notification to your side of the time and route of their travel. When our Liaison Officer called the attention of your side to the fact that 4 supply trucks of our delegation carrying white flags had been attacked by airplanes of your side at Hwangju and Sariwon, your Liaison Officer did request once again that we give, as far as possible, prior notification of the route and time of travel of the vehicles of our delegation. But after our Liaison Officer stated that it was our consistent understanding that there should be no necessity to give prior notification of the route and time of travel of vehicles of our delegation carrying white flags, your Liaison Officer Colonel Kinney expressed clear agreement and only requested that the vehicles of our delegation be covered with white cloth over their hoods in addition to carrying white flags so as to facilitate recognition. Since then, vehicles of our delegation have been covered with white cloth over their hoods as well as carrying white flags. The supply truck of our side attacked by your airplane near Sibyonri on August 7 was marked with a white cloth over its hood in addition to the white flag.
“You insinuated in your letter that our forces abused the use of white markings. Such a slanderous insinuation is entirely groundless. The location of the attack by your airplanes on the truck of our delegation on August 7 is on one of the two main roads between Pyongyang and Kaesong. The fact that you made such a slanderous remark after your side had repeatedly violated the agreement cannot but make people [Page 801] doubt whether such an action on your part can be attributed to any accidental cause.
“The fact that the shooting at Pan Mun Jom by your armed personnel followed in close succession a few hours after the attack on the truck of our delegation by your airplanes raised the question in my mind whether these two incidents were not created by your side according to plan.
“With regard to the repeated violations on August 7 of the agreement on your part, I once more lodge with you a grave protest, and hope that you will guarantee against the recurrence of such violations of the agreement.
“Signed Nam Il, General, Senior Delegate, Delegation of the Korean Peoples Army and the Chinese Peoples Volunteers.” This message was written in English and Korean. The Korean copy was signed. Interpreters stated the English and Korean versions are substantially the same in word and tone.
Part 3. I have suggested to Admiral Joy that he release to the press the text of the message quoted in Part 2, above, together with a full, forceful, factual, reply.