Office of the Historian

Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation, lot 64 D 199

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Director of the Office of Northeast Asian Affairs (Young)

secret
[Seoul,] August 8, 1953.

Subject:

  • Final Meeting Between President Rhee and Secretary Dulles.

Participants:

  • ROK
  • President Syngman Rhee
  • Prime Minister Paik
  • Foreign Minister Pyun
  • Defense Minister Sohn
  • Ambassador Ben Limb, ROK Observer to the UN
  • Minister Kim
  • United States
  • Secretary Dulles
  • Secretary Stevens
  • Ambassador Lodge, US Representative to the UN
  • Ambassador Briggs, American Embassy Pusan
  • General Maxwell Taylor, Acting CINCUNC
  • Assistant Secretary Robertson, FE
  • Assistant Secretary McCardle, Public Affairs
  • Mr. Arthur Dean, Consultant
  • Mr. Kenneth T. Young, Jr., Director NA
  • Mr. Charles Sullivan, Department of Defense
  • Mr. Niles Bond, Counselor, American Embassy Pusan

The Secretary and his party arrived at the Presidential Mansion at 10 o’clock for the final meeting with President Rhee. The Secretary gave President Rhee one of the two original copies of the joint statement. After they both had read it, President Rhee and the Secretary each signed an original.

The Secretary and Foreign Minister Pyun went into the State dining room which had been prepared for the initialing of the Mutual Defense Treaty. In the presence of the Republic of Korea Cabinet, the Secretary’s party, and correspondents and photographers, the Secretary and the Foreign Minister each initialed and exchanged an original copy of the draft Mutual Defense Treaty Between the Republic of Korea and the United States.

After the initialing, the Secretary said to President Rhee and the Foreign Minister that the initialing of the Treaty marked a significant contribution to friendly relations between the Republic of Korea and the United States of America.1 President Rhee, Secretary Dulles and their advisers returned to the living room for conversation of a general nature. The Secretary told President Rhee that the initialing of these two documents this morning would establish the basis for the development of really effective future relations between the United States of America and the Republic of Korea. President Rhee expressed his appreciation to the Secretary, and through him, to President Eisenhower for their interest in Korea and initiative in bringing about the initialing of a Mutual Defense Treaty, which, he said, would mean so much to his people. The Secretary then made the personal suggestion to President Rhee that he might consider visiting the United States next January or February at about the time the Senate might begin its consideration of the Mutual Defense Treaty. The Secretary suggested that President Rhee might make an address to a joint session of Congress, which could have a considerable effect, he believed, on consideration of the Treaty and the reaction of public opinion to it. President Rhee said that he would keep this possibility in mind.

After a toast appropriate for the occasion and final personal exchanges among both parties, the Secretary and his associates left the Presidential Mansion.

  1. The following addition was written in at this point in an unidentified handwriting: “President Rhee replied that this was a most historic moment for the Korean people.”↩