320/11–652: Telegram
The United States Representative at the United Nations (Austin) to the Department of State
secret
priority
priority
New
York, November 6, 1952—4:23
p.m.
Delga 133. Re Korea: Following is del staff’s listing of elements basic to US position on Korea in GA, referred to in Delga 134.1
I. Essential elements in regard to GA res.
- A.
- Clear recognition that force will not be used to effect repatriation.
- B.
- GA should call for armistice agreement consistent with this basic POW position.
- C.
- GA President’s report on Communists’ reaction to such request must be submitted during present session in time for GA consideration of this report.
- D.
- Res should not reopen questions already tentatively agreed to in Panmunjom and should not, in fact, move further negotiations from Panmunjom to Assembly.
II. Indispensable conditions re POW’s.
- A.
- General
- 1.
- Armistice agreement must assure prompt return of UNC POW’s.
- 2.
- Armistice agreement must avoid leaving for further negotiations with Communists any part of POW problem.
- 3.
- Agreed arrangements re POW’s must not prevent indefinitely resettlement of non-repatriates, or create major practical problems in their resettlement (e.g., moving all Koreans out of Korea).
- B.
- GA committee on repatriation of
POW’s.
- 1.
- If GA is to decide on committee for repatriation of POW’s this decision should be recommended to negotiators for their acceptance as well as for incorporation in an appropriate form into armistice agreement.
- 2.
- Such a committee should be so composed that it can operate impartially, quickly, and effectively without the need for unanimous decision or the possibility of deadlocking or stalling action in regard to the repatriation of POW’s. The composition of the committee should be determined by the GA.
- 3.
- The committee’s terms of reference should be:
- A.
- To insure that all listed POW’s are, in fact, promptly brought from the camps to the exchange points;
- B.
- To observe the release and actual repatriation of those willing to be repatriated, in accordance with the provisions of the draft armistice agreement;
- C.
- To insure that POW’s have the opportunity, free from coercion and from military control, to express their resistance to repatriation;
- D.
- To supervise and be responsible for the custody, care and control in civilian status of those resisting repatriation, and assure them humanitarian conditions pending their resettlement;
- E.
- To negotiate with other nations for the resettlement of POW’s along the lines of the Mexican-Peruvian resolutions;
- F.
- The committee should be responsible solely to UNGA and should have discharged its function when it can be in a position to assure UNGA that all POW’s in custody of either side have either been repatriated or, having freely asserted resistance to repatriation, have been released and resettled under humane conditions.
III. Indispensable elements regarding political settlement following armistice.
- A.
- No mixing of armistice issue and post-armistice political questions.
- B.
- No commission or conference should be created to deal with both armistice and political questions.
- C.
- No political conference or commission should be composed or established before armistice goes into effect.
- D.
- GA should go no further at this time than to approve holding of a political conference on Korea, as recommended in article 60 of draft armistice agreement (A/2228, Annex A). Thus, it might agree that within ninety (90) days of conclusion of armistice there should take place a political conference for the political settlement of the Korean question, with the participation of the parties directly concerned and such others as GA shall designate; such conference would take immediate steps to settle the Korean question on the basis of a unified, independent, and democratic Korea; GA may decide now that it will call special session immediately following conclusion of an armistice in order to carry out that recommendation, including the designation, at that time, of the parties to take part in this conference.
Austin