Office of the Historian
  1. Home
  2. Historical Documents
  3. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XIX, Part 1, Korea, 1969–1972
  4. Document 156

156. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)1

Washington, September 7, 1972.

SUBJECT

  • Meeting with Phil Habib

I spoke to Phil Habib at his request this morning. He pointed out that the recent request by the GVN to the ROK to maintain their forces in GVN through CY 1973 has seriously jeopardized chances of maintaining ROK force levels in Vietnam. Phil says that he believes that with the right kind of nursing he could manage to get Park to get one Division through 1973 and into 1974 but he is sure that Park will insist on drawing down at least one. The same old problems exist with regard to this however, i.e., the need for U.S. support, helicopters, tanks, etc. Phil said that our failure to talk to Park about Vietnam has been the most serious shortcoming with our relations with Korea. He feels that we are going to sell Thieu out and that he will be left holding the bag on troops in Vietnam. I told Phil to tell Park that he had talked to you and to reassure him that we had not come this far to sell out now, to make sure that negotiations are underway and that we are coordinating carefully with Thieu and to also underline the President’s determination and resolve to include a determination to bring the war to a conclusion either through negotiations or otherwise in the most strenuous way, especially after the election.

With respect to Korean troop levels, we will have the bureaucracy’s recommendations in about a week. I think our best bet is to play for time so that we have the troop levels high if we are forced to enter into a stepped up military phase after the elections. This kind of thing I think Park will understand and support if we consult with him at the time. There will, of course, be the usual payola.2

Phil said that Park has been invited to speak before the Asia Society in early December and that he can greatly improve what is becoming a critical situation in Korea if he could tell Park that the President [Page 405] will see him in December in conjunction with the speech in New York. I believe that we should do this and I recommend that you approve my having a memorandum prepared for the President which would commit him to a brief, unofficial meeting, perhaps even a breakfast or lunch, in early December.

Approve3 Disapprove
Approve breakfast4 lunch

Confine to recommendation for office call

  1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 543, Country Files, Far East, Korea, Vol. V, 1 Jan–31 Dec 1972, Part 2. Secret; Eyes Only. According to a handwritten notation, the memorandum was sent for action.↩
  2. On November 1, Nixon signed Presidential Determination 73–5 approving “the furnishing of sophisticated weapons systems in FY 1973 to the Republic of Korea.” For text, see Department of State Bulletin, December 18, 1972, p. 702.↩
  3. Kissinger initialed his approval. No memorandum has been found.↩
  4. Kissinger initialed his approval. Park did not visit the United States nor meet with Nixon in December 1972.↩