Office of the Historian

795.00/7–953: Telegram

The Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson) to the Department of State

secret
niact
Seoul, July 10, 1953—1 a.m.1

091600Z. July 9 (Army message). Repeated information CINCUNC for Murphy, Pusan. For the Secretary and Alexis Johnson from Robertson.

The following are my comments on Rhee’s letter2 and draft treaty3 of July 9. Rhee’s letter indicates retreat from many of his previously declared positions as follows:

1.
He has given up condition that withdrawal of Chinese Communist troops and unification of Korea take place prior to conclusion of armistice.
2.
He has given up demand that all non-Communist POWs be immediately released to countries of their own choosing.
3.
He has agreed that anti-Communist Korean and Chinese POWs will be transported to DZ and turned over to NNRC.
4.
He has given up his refusal to submit unification of Korea to political conference and has agreed to cooperate in “peaceful achievement” of unification of Korea with certain reservations.
5.
He has given up demand treaty be ratified prior to conclusion of armistice. He accepts assurances of President and Secretary of State that treaty will be ratified.
6.
He has abandoned request that United States agree to resume hostilities after 90 days of political conference if it fails achieve objectives.
7.
For the first time in writing he has formally agreed not to obstruct the armistice. Among the points now apparently still at issue are:
(a)
Our commitments following the 90 day political conference (last sentence penultimate paragraph his letter),
(b)
Article II of his draft treaty,
(c)
Article V of his draft treaty which follows NATO language instead of Philippine treaty and
(d)
The lack of any agreement in his letter leaving ROK forces under United Nations Command, except by implication in following language:

“Although we cannot sign the truce we shall not obstruct it, so long as no measures or action taken under the armistice are detrimental to our national survival.”

Rhee’s letter omits qualifications we had put on joint withdrawal from political conference (last sentence of his second paragraph his letter). I also call your attention to second sentence Article III and Article VI of treaty.

[Robertson]
  1. This message was received at the Department of State at 4:28 p.m., July 9, 1953.↩
  2. Ante, p. 1357.↩
  3. Supra.↩