259. Telegram 824 to Geneva1
824. For Johnson. Deptel 798 and your 797.
Following is text of presentation on “accounting for U.S. military personnel” which Department and Defense have agreed upon:
“Dear Mr. Ambassador:
“My Government has, since the conclusion of the Armistice in Korea undertaken a careful and complete analysis of all of its casualty figures and of the ultimate disposition of all unaccounted-for members of its Armed Forces who served in Korea.
“The American servicemen for whom no accounting has been obtained total 450 persons. Each of these was last seen or last heard of under circumstances indicating that he was either captured or killed in action by forces of the opposing side, and that he or his remains should be in the custody or possession of the opposing side. The names of many of these persons were at one time listed as prisoners of war in publications in your country, the names of others have been broadcast over your radio, some were actually identified as having spoken over the radio, some wrote letters from prison camps [Facsimile Page 2] and others were known and seen in prison camps by prisoners who were subsequently returned. It is definitely known that some prisoners were taken into your country. Furthermore, there have been cases of Americans not known to my Government to be in your country, and later revealed by your Government to be held there.
[Typeset Page 344]“Repeated efforts have been made by my Government, through the United Nations Command and the Military Armistice Commission, to obtain an accounting for these 450 men of the United States Armed Forces. These efforts have elicited no satisfactory response, despite the clear obligation of the side of your Government under the Korean Armistice Agreement to provide a full and complete accounting on all prisoners of war and deceased combatants of which it had knowledge. The failure of your Government to respond to my Government’s requests, thus preventing the military authorities of my country from definitely informing the families of the fate of these men, has caused deep concern to the American people, and has thus created a real and grave matter of concern between our two sides.
“Apart from the question of the members of the United States Armed Forces who served in Korea, there remains the question of the fate of the 11 Naval and Coast Guard personnel who disappeared in the crash of two U.S. planes in the sea near the harbor of Swatow in January 1953. The circumstances of this incident would indicate [Facsimile Page 3] that some of the members of the crew or their bodies may have been recovered. The inability to date of my Government to determine the fate of these men is also a source of deep concern to the American people.
“Accordingly, as this is one of the practical matters at issue between us and in keeping with the purpose of these talks, I am enclosing separate lists of the 450 American servicemen and the 11 Naval and Coast Guard airmen missing off Swatow, to whom I have referred and, on behalf of my Government, I request that you present to the appropriate authorities in your government my Government’s demand for an accounting for the fate of each of these men.
Enclosures:
List of 450 servicemen.
List of 11 Naval and Coast Guardsmen.”
End letter.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/9–2855. Secret; Priority. Drafted by McConaughy and Osborn; cleared in draft in Defense and by Sebald and Phleger.↩