Office of the Historian

Lot 55D128: Black Book, Tab 120: Telegram

The Commander in Chief, Far East (Ridgway) to the Joint Chiefs of Staff

secret
operational immediate
Tokyo, 21 November 1951—11:31 p. m.

CX–57724. [HNC 470.] 1. This supplements my C 57723 (HNC 469).1 Folg is UNC subdelegation proposed revision of Communist proposal of 21 Nov which they intend to present tomorrow unless otherwise instructed:

“The subdelegations of the delegation of the Korean People’s Army and the Chinese People’s Volunteers and of the UNC delegation reach the folg agreement on the second item of the agenda, ‘fixing a mil demarcation line between both sides so as to establish a demilitarized zone as the basic condition for the cessation of hostilities in Korea’:

  • “1. The principle is accepted that the actual line of contact between both sides (as determined under either para 2 or 3, as appropriate) will be made the mil demarcation line and that at the time specified in the signed armistice agreement both sides will withdraw 2 kilometers from this line so as to establish the demilitarized zone for the duration of the mil armistice.
  • “2. In accordance with the above stated principle, the sub delegations will determine immediately the present line of contact so as to fix it as the mil demarcation line and as the median line of the demilitarized zone. If the mil armistice agreement is signed within 30 days after the 2 delegations approve in the plenary session this agreement and to [the?] specific location of the above mil demarcation line and demilitarized zone, the mil demarcation line and demilitarized zone shall not be changed, regardless of whatever changes may occur in the actual line of contact between both sides.
  • “3. In view of the fact that hostilities will continue until the signing of the armistice agreement, if the mil armistice is not signed by the time 30 days expire, the mil demarcation line and the demilitarized zone shall be revised so that the actual line of contact between both sides at the time of the signing of the armistice agreement shall become the mil demarcation line and the median line of the demilitarized zone.”

2. I am considering directing a change in para 3 which will bring this para into conformance with subpara 4 of UNC proposal of 17 November, forwarded to you in C 57466, and changes in paras 2 and 3 to specify the method of determining the line of contact.2

  1. Supra.↩

  2. The Joint Chiefs of Staff sent the following response in telegram JCS 87724, dated November 21:

    “Reur CX 57724, JCS feel that only substantive point at issue is time of withdrawal from median line. This is adequately clarified in Para 1 of new UN proposal. JCS therefore concur in your proposed action.” (Black Book, Tab 121)

    In telegram CX–57725, November 22, General Ridgway suggested to Admiral Joy that Paragraph 3 be amended in the following fashion:

    “With the exception of Paragraph 3, your proposal contained in HNC 470 (C–57724) is approved. It is desired that Paragraph 3 be presented substantially as follows:

    “‘3. In view of the fact that hostilities will continue until the signing of the armistice agreement, if the military armistice is not signed by the time 30 days expire, the then existing line of contact will be determined jointly by the sub-delegations and will constitute a new provisional military demarcation line which will be the median line of a new provisional demilitarized zone to be effective for such purposes and for such a period as will at that time be mutually agreed by the delegations of both sides.’ “(Black Book, Tab 120)

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