Office of the Historian

795.00/3–2452: Telegram

The Commander in Chief, United Nations Command (Ridgway) to the Senior Delegate, United Nations Command Delegation at Panmunjom (Joy)

top secret
operational immediate
Tokyo, March 24, 1952—11:55 a.m.

CX 65762. Re HNC 1082.1 Concur in your proposed action except as indicated below:

1.
Change your para 2A as follows:
a.
In fourth subpara delete the last 2 sentences which read “Such an indefinite answer may not be satisfactory to you as a basis for an agreement. If an accurate estimate would be helpful we are willing to suspend discussion of the 21 March proposal until such time as it can be prepared.”
b.
In fifth subpara delete the next to last sentence which reads “We are prepared to submit a revision of the 21 March proposal which should be acceptable to both sides.”
c.
In fifth subpara change the words “When the armistice agreement is signed” to read “At the time the armistice agreement is signed”.
d.
The deleted portions of your para 2A should be replaced by appropriate questions to determine whether the Communists agree with the approach of adjusting the basic UNC list of Communist POWs.
2.
No accurate estimate should be offered to the Communists at this time. Considered here that no reasonable estimate can be made by UNC without actually screening and segregating POWs concerned. If the Communists ask for an estimate or if agreement cannot be reached without furnishing the Communists an accurate estimate, appropriate recommendations will be made to JCS from here.
3.
The proposal contained in your para 2B should be held in abeyance until reaction of the Communists to above approach is determined. Before the proposal is made the last sentence should be changed to read as follows: “The release and repatriation of such prisoners of war shall be effected on the basis of lists which shall be checked by, and be mutually acceptable to, both sides prior to the signing of the armistice agreement.”
4.
The Communists should also be informed that revisions in existing lists will be determined discreetly and without publicity.

  1. Supra.↩