Editorial Note
On June 22, Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs Walter S. Robertson left Washington National Airport for Korea via [Page 1238] Tokyo. Accompanying Robertson were Carl W. McCardle, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs; Kenneth Young, Director of the Office of Northeast Asian Affairs; and General J. Lawton Collins, Chief of Staff of the United States Army, whose role was to discuss the military situation in Korea. There had been some consideration of having General James Van Fleet, United States Army (retired), go to Korea with Robertson, but President Eisenhower, at the desire of General Clark, decided not to send Van Fleet for the time being. (Department of State Bulletin, July 6, 1953, page 14; summary of Eisenhower telephone calls, June 20, 1953, Eisenhower Library, Eisenhower papers, Whitman file; telegram DA 942008, Hull to Clark, June 22, 1953, FE files, lot 55 D 338)
While in Korea Robertson, as President Eisenhower’s personal envoy, used the communication channels available in Seoul; therefore telegrams from him carry his bracketed signature rather than that of Ambassador Briggs.