Office of the Historian

795.00/4–2652

Memorandum for the Record, by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Johnson)

confidential
[Washington,] April 26, 1952.

Subject:

  • Consultation with Far East Subcommittees on Korea.

On the morning of April 26 in accordance with a request by the Department, Mr. Allison and Mr. Johnson met informally at the Capitol with the Far East Subcommittee of the Committee on Foreign Affairs [Page 173] of the House. Mr. Burleson, Chairman; Mr. Carnahan; Mr. Lanham; Mr. Judd; Mr. L. H. Smith; and Mr. Vorys were present.

The Department’s representatives reviewed the course of the progress made in the armistice negotiations to date and set forth the positions to be taken by the UNC Delegation in the plenary session scheduled for that evening. There was detailed discussion, particularly of the position on airfields and prisoners of war and all the questions put by the members of the Subcommittee were fully and frankly answered in confidence. The only critical note was from questions raised by Mr. Judd concerning the screening of prisoners of war on the basis of whether they would forcibly resist repatriation rather than by free and voluntary choice by them. After the reasons for the type of screening that was carried out were fully explained to Mr. Judd he appeared to be somewhat satisfied, although still of the opinion that it should have been upon a fully voluntary basis. Otherwise the members of the Subcommittee appeared fully to understand and to accept the action being taken. All members of the Subcommittee expressed their great appreciation for the meeting.

Subsequently on the afternoon of April 26 Mr. Allison visited Senator Hickenlooper at his home, the only member of the Far East Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee available. Mr. Allison went over the Korean armistice negotiations along the same lines as above. Senator Hickenlooper stated that he did not agree with the position being taken on the airfield question and intended to oppose it, although in view of the present state of negotiations he would not, as planned, speak in the Senate on the subject the early part of next week.