69. Telegram From the Commander, United States Forces in Korea (Michaelis) to the Commander in Chief, Pacific (McCain)1
KRA 3085. Today in a discussion with MND, Jung once again reaffirmed there could be no discussion of force reduction until a mutually recommended requirements plan for modernization was developed and not until the President had an assured package to “show to his people.”
After a rather lengthy and tense discussion, Jung, stating he was speaking to me as a private individual and not as the MND, said that when the modernization committee has evolved an agreed upon requirements package and after President Nixon submitted an FY 71 supplemental to the Congress, they would discuss the reduction of 20,000 but not the removal of a division, corps headquarters and corps artillery. Asked for an explanation, he said this meant a man for man and unit for unit substitution. Two US divisions and corps structure under US command must remain.
Warm regards.
- Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 542, Country Files, Far East, Korea, Vol. III, 6/70–Dec 70. Top Secret; Eyes Only; Noforn. Repeated to Moorer, Westmoreland, and Haines. Moorer requested that the telegram be distributed to Laird, Packard, Nutter, Vogt, General Zais, Admiral Weinel, Admiral Zumwalt, General Ryan, Chapman, Kissinger, and Ambassador Brown.↩