795.00/6–1153

The Secretary of State to the President of the Republic of Korea (Rhee) 1

top secret

My Dear President Rhee : In my personal capacity I send greetings and best wishes and as Secretary of State my hope that our two Governments can work closely together as we pass from war to new efforts to unite Korea. As President Eisenhower said to you in his letter of June 6, he is convinced that it is in fact necessary now to seek the unification of Korea by methods other than continuing the present military warfare. I want personally to say to you that when we talk about unification of Korea by methods other than war, we are not using empty phrases. We have a real determination to achieve this objective and we have hopes that it can be achieved, hopes which are based upon ideas which we are in the process of developing into plans. The pending armistice terms contemplate a political conference about the unification of Korea which will be participated in by a delegation appointed by the UN General Assembly as well as by your Government. [Page 1166] Presumably, the United States will be a member of that UN delegation. However, we believe that no delegation of that character can be an adequate substitute for the close cooperation of our two Governments which have made the sacrifices needed to bring resourcefulness and resolve to the highest pitch. Therefore, it is our desire in this matter to work in special and close concert with your Government.

President Eisenhower and I should like as quickly as possible to establish contact with your Government at a level which would permit a highly confidential exchange of views between our two Governments. The ideal procedure would be for you to come to Washington where you could talk on a confidential basis with President Eisenhower and myself. If, however, your responsibilities in Korea make this seem impracticable, let us think up some alternative. Let me emphasize that these talks must be at a high level and strictly confidential.

I have never forgotten the days when I was with you in Korea in June 1950 when I proudly stood beside you before your National Assembly and said that the Republic of Korea would not stand alone. That promise has stood the test of time and of adversity. I can assure you that it still stands. We want to have you with us and we want to be with you in formulating concrete plans to achieve peacefully the unification of Korea. You may remember that when I saw you in Pusan in December 1951 I said that I believed that we can get unification in that way. I still hold that conviction and I ask you to work with us practically and concretely now that we approach this phase of the problem.

With best wishes to Mrs. Rhee, in which Mrs. Dulles warmly joins,

I am Faithfully yours,

John Foster Dulles
  1. This personal and private message was drafted by Dulles with the concurrences of Robertson and Johnson. It was transmitted to Korea as telegram 779, June 11, 1953, 6:56 p.m., eyes only for Briggs, and repeated to Tokyo as telegram 2899, eyes only for Murphy and Clark.