396.1 GE/4–2454: Telegram
The Ambassador in Korea ( Briggs ) to the United States Delegation
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13. Sent Department 1068; repeated information priority Tokyo 633. Tokyo pass CINCUNC. Geneva for the Secretary and Robertson [Page 146] from Dean. Further reference your 51 and our 10.2 President Rhee had delivered by hand this afternoon following message for Secretary Dulles to deliver to Foreign Minister Pyun:
“Dear Dr. Pyun:
“The following constitutes my latest instructions in connection with Geneva Conference:
“Our friends want us to make unification the first requirement while we want Chinese Communist withdrawal as first requirement. We will cooperate if our friends will make an agreement to effect that there will be no peace until Chinese Communists have withdrawn from Korea, and that no outside nation will interfere with unification program when we hold elections under United Nations’ observation.
“Sincerely yours, Syngman Rhee.”
Ambassadors Briggs and Dean then called on President and Acting Foreign Minister Cho and after considerable discussion President agreed on following substituted instructions for Dr. Pyun:
“You should ask Secretary Dulles to give you assurances that he will cooperate with us in bringing about unification by elections held under United Nations’ observation without outside interference which shall include Chinese withdrawal. When such assurance is received you may make unification first requirement.”
As you will observe, this draft not only represents considerably watered down version of his first demands, but it is result of trading him out of numerous other versions.
President asks you convey final draft (namely paragraph last quoted) to Pyun.