287. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Korea1
Washington, February 29, 1968,
0120Z.
122259. Subject: Instructions for Tenth Closed Meeting.
- 1.
- Since ball is now in North Korean court, we see no need to supply Admiral Smith with detailed instructions for next closed meeting. Smith will probably have to do no more than listen to and acknowledge Pak’s response to new proposals which Smith made at ninth meeting.
- 2.
- We recognize that Pak may try to avoid direct and specific
response on our new proposals by repeating position he has taken at
earlier meetings and merely denouncing our position in general
terms. If Pak does adopt this or other unresponsive line, Smith
should say:
- a.
- At this meeting, I had hoped to receive your serious and carefully considered reactions to the various concrete proposals for settling the Pueblo case which I made at our last meeting. I urge you to study those proposals more thoroughly and come to the next meeting prepared either to accept one of them or to tell me in precisely what respect you believe they should be modified, and why.
- b.
- We have now had ten private talks. We should be well past the stage of general discussion and should focus on specific means of reducing the dangerous level of tension in this area by releasing the officers and men of the Pueblo from the detention in which they have been held for far too long, and by returning the ship itself to United States control.
Rusk
- Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 33–6 KOR N–US. Secret; Priority;Nodis; Cactus. Drafted by Yager; cleared by Brown and Warnke; and approved by Katzenbach.↩