694.95B/3–1053
No. 634
Memorandum of Conversation, by Roderic L. O’Connor, Special
Assistant to the Secretary of State1
Participants:
- The Secretary
- Dr. Yong Tae Pyun, Foreign Minister of Korea
- Roderic L. O’Connor
(This is a very summary account of the meeting. O’Connor was not present during all of it, and therefore this memorandum cannot be regarded as complete.)
The Korean Foreign Minister opened by stating that he felt that something was coming in Korea, that this was his hope and his feeling. He stated that he and his people were anxious to see a military advance made there. He also stated that they were anxious to have an international assurance that they would be included in a mutual defense pact for the Far Eastern area, including the ANZUS countries. He expressed fear that the Japanese still harbored the desire ultimately to take over Korea.
The Korean Foreign Minister stated that the Japanese were anxious to conclude a nationality pact which would permit them a free hand in the deportation of Korean residents in Japan and that they also desired to enter into a commercial pact which would give the Japanese special trading advantages in Korea. The Foreign Minister stated that Korea could not allow either such pact. He [Page 1390] also stated that his government was very anxious that there should not be many Japanese nationals living in Korea doing business there, that large numbers of Japanese nationals in Korea during a time of hostilities represented a great danger.
The Secretary pointed out that without adequate trade the Japanese were bound to suffer economic strangulation which would result in their almost certainly turning to the Communist side. He said that Korea would do well to balance these risks against the fear that the Foreign Minister had expressed of the Japanese domination of Korean trade.
The Korean Foreign Minister brought up the issue of fishing rights. He expressed himself very strongly on the fear of Japan’s being able to take over Korean fishing grounds while the Koreans were waging war. The Secretary stated that the problem of fishing rights was a worldwide problem, that in general the U.S. position was based on the premise, that there could be no preemption of fishing grounds beyond the three-mile limit. There was then some discussion of the salmon pact. The Korean Foreign Minister terminated the appointment by stating that the Japanese fishing fleets were at this time forcefully fishing in Korean waters and had refused to continue negotiations on this matter.
- The following is typed above the drafting line: “Checked with NA: ABEmmons”. Arthur B. Emmons was Officer in Charge of Korean Affairs. This conversation took place at the Waldorf Towers.↩