795.00/7–453: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in Korea1
15. From Acting Secretary. Embtel 13.2 President is away from Washington and will not return until Sunday night or Monday morning.3 Key leaders of Senate are also away and probably not available until Tuesday.4 It is my personal view President as well as Secretary has already given every assurance on Mutual Defense Pact honesty and decency require. Rhee’s apparent desire for additional assurances call into question dignity and honor US Government. Rhee should realize Senate ratification any Mutual Defense treaty more dependent on what he does than on any further assurances at this time by President and Senate leaders. Rhee must himself take those steps necessary reestablish that confidence between our two governments essential for conclusion and effective operation Mutual Defense treaty. Rhee should also realize that unless by his words and actions he restores now-shaken confidence it is very problematic whether allied agreement to Greater Sanctions Statement can be maintained. This statement not only unprecedented international undertaking on behalf of Korea but of great importance security [Page 1330] UNC forces. Even now we are holding others in line with greatest difficulty.
- This telegram, drafted by Johnson and cleared in substance with Smith, was sent to Seoul for Robertson, to Pusan as telegram 13, and to Tokyo as telegram 42 for Murphy and Clark.↩
- Not printed; in this telegram Robertson briefly summarized the meeting reported upon in his memorandum of conversation, supra.↩
- July 5–6.↩
- Secretary Dulles was also spending the 4th of July vacation away from Washington on Duck Island.↩