215. Editorial Note

At a press conference on May 14, Secretary of State Dulles indicated that the United States was considering the introduction of “more modern, more effective” weapons into the Republic of Korea. Secretary of Defense Wilson amplified those remarks later in the day [Page 433] by indicating that these new weapons might include “dual capability” weapons such as guided missiles. The statements by Dulles and Wilson received prominent coverage in the South Korean press, and President Rhee praised the U.S. decision to modernize its arsenal in South Korea as a “bold stroke” against the Communists.

On May 15, Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-woo wrote to Secretary Dulles to express “extreme pleasure” over the United States decision to send nuclear-capable weapons to Korea. “I sincerely congratulate you,” he wrote, “on your sound and timely decision to bring up-to-date the fifth largest army in the entire world.”

The transcript of Dulles’ press conference on May 14 is printed in Department of State Bulletin, June 3, 1957, pages 894–901. Wilson’s statement on May 14 and Rhee’s statement on May 17 were reported in The New York Times, May 15 and May 18, respectively. A copy of Kim Yong-woo’s May 15 letter to Dulles is in Department of State, NA Files: Lot 59 D 407, Problems of Para 13d of Armistice Agreement 1957.