245. Memorandum of Conversation0

SUBJECT

  • The Secretary’s Call on Chairman Park Chung Hee1

PARTICIPANTS

  • Chairman Park Chung Hee2
  • The Secretary of State
  • Ambassador Samuel D. Berger
1.
The Chairman welcomed the Secretary to Seoul.
2.
The Secretary said President Kennedy was looking forward with pleasure to the Chairman’s visit,3 and the Chairman and his colleagues could be assured of a friendly welcome. The American Government was greatly impressed by the military government’s efforts to deal with corruption, and with the energy with which it was tackling many Korean problems. He knew that the American Government had made many mistakes in Korea, at the same time it must be said that the performance of past Korean Governments has been disappointing and unsatisfactory. The military government was doing many things to establish economic, political and social life on a new basis, and the Secretary wished the Chairman to know that we supported these efforts.
3.
The Secretary asked if there was anything the Chairman wished him to convey to the President in advance of the visit. Chairman Pak said he was sure General Meloy, Mr. Killen and Ambassador Berger had made the necessary reports on the situation in Korea so that he knew the President would be fully informed in advance, and he had nothing to suggest.
4.
The Secretary said the President would want to talk with him about the dangerous world situation which exists over Berlin. Khrushchev [Page 528] was set on a course which unless he changed was headed for collision. The effects could be immediately felt everywhere including the Korean front. He was sure the Chairman, as a military man, realized that the Korean and U.S. forces must be on the alert. Moreover, it was important during this period of crisis to maintain Korean military forces at their present strength. The Chairman said the Korean Government had every intention of maintaining its military forces at full strength.
5.
The Secretary congratulated the Chairman on his promotion to full General.
6.
The Chairman said it was 10:00 a.m. and the Republic of Korea was observing a minute of silence in protest against Soviet nuclear tests.
7.
Resuming, the Secretary said he had talked with Prime Minister Ikeda on the need for a Korean-Japanese settlement.4 Ikeda had a full appreciation both of the need for and the importance of a settlement. Ikeda, as the Chairman knew, had domestic opposition to a settlement from the Socialists. In his talks with Ikeda, it was evident that he realized that the Chairman also had his domestic problems. The Secretary said he was pleased that the Chairman was stopping in Tokyo en route to the U.S. for a long talk with Ikeda. Face-to-face talks and quiet diplomacy were the only way to deal with problems as emotionally loaded as this one was. The Secretary said he was confident that only good could come from these talks, and he hoped that a new chapter was about to be written in Korean-Japanese relations. The Secretary said the U.S. Government could not and should not involve itself directly as a mediator or intermediary in these negotiations, but he wished to say to the Chairman that if he thought we could be helpful we would be ready to do what we could.
8.
The Chairman nodded approvingly while these remarks were made. The Chairman said he thought the Japanese sincerely wished a settlement and he hoped in his direct talks with Ikeda to establish the basis for successful negotiations. He hoped that an understanding could be reached soon, and thanked the Secretary for his offer to be helpful.

Note: Chairman Park’s Aide Col Cho interpreted. Mr. Campen of the Embassy stood by to check the interpretation.

  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 795B.00/11-561. Secret. Drafted by Berger and approved in S on November 11. The meeting was held at Park Chung Hee’s residence.
  2. Rusk had just attended a meeting of the Joint U.S.-Japan Committee on Trade and Economic Affairs in Japan November 2-5. He was in Seoul November 5 and returned to Washington on November 6. Rusk also met with President Po Sun-yun at 9 a.m. A record of that meeting is in a November 5 memorandum of conversation. (Ibid., 795B.11/11-561) At 2:15 p.m. Rusk met with Prime Minister Song Yo-chan and members of the ROK Cabinet responsible for economic affairs to discuss U.S. aid to Korea. Rusk reiterated U.S. determination to aid Korea, but stressed that resources were limited. (Memorandum of conversation, November 5; ibid., 795B.00/11-561)
  3. In August 1961 Pak Chung-hui requested that his name be spelled in correspondence and publications as Park Chung Hee. The spelling used within Department of State internal and telegraphic correspondence remained the standard McCune-Reischauer transliteration of Korean characters: Park Chung-hui or Pak Chong-hui.
  4. See Document 247.
  5. A memorandum of that discussion, November 2, is in Department of State, Central Files, 694.95B/11-261.