Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Japan; Korea, Volume XVIII

291. Memorandum of Conversation⁰

Washington, March 16, 1960, noon–1 p.m.

SUBJECT

• Korean Elections

PARTICIPANTS

• Dr. You Chan Yang, Ambassador, Embassy of Korea
• Mr. Shin Yong Lho, First Secretary, Embassy of Korea
• The Secretary of State
• Mr. John M. Steeves, Acting Assistant Secretary for Far Eastern Affairs
• Mr. David M. Bane, Director, Office of Northeast Asian Affairs

The Secretary stated that he first wanted to talk to Ambassador Yang about the presidential elections in Korea. He said he wished to emphasize our concern over the reports which we have received concerning riots and incidents of violence as well as charges of irregularities occurring in the course of the elections. The Secretary expressed particular concern with respect to the United States public reaction and especially that of the Congress to these reports. He indicated that they might affect adversely our Korean aid program. The trend of events in Korea with respect to the elections has been distressing to us particularly in view of the absence of an opposition candidate to President Rhee. Pressures appear to have been used in the electoral campaign which the Secretary said he was sure Ambassador Yang would agree exceeded the norm of democratic practices and processes.

Ambassador Yang said that he had also been concerned by the reports of violence in connection with the elections in Korea. He said that he had sent telegrams to President Rhee regarding these reports since President Rhee is not always informed about what is going on in Korea. President Rhee, he said, has repeatedly stated that the culprits involved in these incidents must be arrested and punished. Ambassador Yang stated these riots are not “just a result of intimidation”. He recalled that while Dr. Cho was at Walter Reed Hospital he had asked him for his views on the outcome of the elections and that Dr. Cho had said that he was sure that he would not be elected President of Korea. Ambassador Yang stressed that President Rhee did not need to campaign to be reelected. The fight, he said, was between the opposing vice presidential candidates. Unfortunately, he said, the question of religion had been introduced into the campaign. The Catholics in Korea had said that they were being persecuted. Ambassador Yang said that President Rhee had written to him to say that the Catholics were doing good work in Korea and that there was no reason why he should persecute them. President Rhee, he continued, has sent a number of telegrams saying that there is no religious persecution in Korea and that he would take necessary action if any evidence of persecution were to come to his attention. President Rhee had asked how he could stop incidents of violence erupting between local political groups and had said that all he could do was say that this sort of thing was not good for Korea.

The Secretary intervened to say that the most disturbing aspect of the matter was that the incidents occurring were not just spontaneous eruptions of violence but rather violence arising as a result of intimidation. Ambassador Yang responded, saying this was not true. He said that Keyes Beech, for example, is only reporting the opposition side of the story. Keyes Beech had been talking too much to Democratic Party vice presidential candidate Chang. The latter’s tactics, Ambassador Yang emphasized, were wrong and were only helping the Communists. Moreover, the Catholic Bishop in Korea, Bishop Ro, had actively and openly taken part in the electoral campaign. The Protestants in Korea had not taken such a role according to Ambassador Yang. He believed that Keyes Beech had talked too much to Bishop Ro as well. Secretary Herter intervened to say that he, of course, was not basing his opinions solely on what one writer had to say about the situation. However, this appeared to be the worst election in the Republic’s history and one marred by widespread violence and charges of irregularities. Ambassador Yang agreed that this election had been the worst in the history of the Republic and he said he could not understand how it had happened. President Rhee, he said, is the only man who can hold things together in Korea and any young country needs a strong man to hold things together. At this point Ambassador Yang said he would like to digress on several aspects of the electoral situation.

The Secretary intervened to say that he wanted Ambassador Yang to understand that we fully appreciate the domestic nature of this problem but we are concerned with the repercussions flowing from the manner in which the elections apparently were conducted, particularly in terms of their impact on public opinion here and in the Congress. Ambassador Yang emphasized that he and President Rhee lean heavily on the judgment of the Secretary and of this Government and that the Republic of Korea would always try to work fully with the United States.

0. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 795B.00/3–1660. Drafted by Bane and approved by Herter. The conversation was held in the Secretary’s office. Herter also discussed Japanese-Korean relations with Yang. A separate memorandum was prepared on that aspect of the conversation. (ibid.) The entire conversation was summarized in telegram 711 to Seoul, March 16. (ibid.)