Office of the Historian

795.00/10–553

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of state

secret
[Washington,] October 5, 1953.

Participants:

  • The President
  • The Secretary of State
  • The Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • The Korean Chargé

The Korean Minister expressed the gratitude of his country for U.S. support, particularly economic aid. The President said this was designed to indicate the solidarity of our two countries, which now happily could be turned to channels of peace rather than war. He asked the Foreign Minister to convey to President Rhee his high regard and hopes for continued close cooperation. He said, however, that he was disturbed by the apparent tendency of Korean officials to talk in terms of war, that the world wanted peace and reacted strongly against bellicose statements/These statements tended to isolate the Republic of Korea and make it difficult for the U.S. to defend the ROK and stand with it. The President referred particularly to the October 3 statement of the Acting Foreign Minister1 threatening to “take up our arms” against the Indian Repatriation Forces unless they changed their ways.

Mr. Dulles mentioned that we too were disturbed over some of the rules and that we had brought our concern to the attention of the five governments who had named members to the Repatriation Commission. We were trying by all means to bring about a fair interpretation and application of the armistice agreement in this respect. However, our task was not made easier by the kind of threats that were emanating from the Republic of Korea.

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The Foreign Minister said he was not able to explain fully the statement which had been made by the Acting Foreign Minister. He believed that all peaceful methods should be exhausted. However, he was unable to give any commitment on behalf of the Republic of Korea as to what might happen if, in fact, loyal Koreans were sent back to captivity.

The President said he sympathized with them, but again emphasized that Korea was not helped by public declarations which looked as though the ROK wanted to find an excuse to resume the war, which was abhorrent to all the rest of the world.

The Foreign Minister said he would report the President’s views to President Rhee.

John Foster Dulles
  1. A text of this statement by Acting Foreign Minister Cho Chung Whan is in telegram 291 from Seoul, Oct. 4, 1953, not printed. (795.13/10–453)↩