Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, The Far East, Volume VI

740.00119 Control (Korea)/5–847

The Soviet Minister for Foreign Affairs (Molotov) to the Secretary of State ⁶⁷

[Translation]

Dear Mr. Marshall: I acknowledge receipt of your letter of May 2⁶⁸ concerning the resumption of the work of the Joint Soviet-American Commission on Korea.

Your proposal, as I understand it, is to the effect that before the resumption of the work of the Joint Commission an agreement should be reached concerning the conditions for consultation with Korean democratic parties and social organizations.

This question was the subject of an exchange of correspondence between the Soviet and American Commanders in Korea as a result of which, as I already answered in my previous letter, the points of view of the two sides were brought considerably closer.

The Soviet Commander in his letter of November 26, 1946 advanced the following proposals as a basis for the resumption of the work of the Joint Commission:

• “1. The Joint Commission must consult those democratic parties and organizations which uphold fully the Moscow decision on Korea.
• “2. Parties or social organizations invited for consultation with the Joint Commission must not nominate for consultation those representatives who have compromised themselves by actively voicing opposition to the Moscow decision.
• “3. Parties and social organizations invited for consultation with Joint Commission must not and will not voice opposition nor will they incite others to voice opposition to Moscow decision and the work of the Joint Commission. If such be the case such parties and social organizations by mutual agreement of both delegations will be excluded from further consultation with the Joint Commission.”

The American Commander in his letter of December 24, 1946 agreed to accept these proposals of the Soviet Commander with the following changes as the basis for the resumption of the work of the Joint Commission:

“Proposal number one to be interpreted as follows: signing the decalaration in communiqué number five⁶⁹ will be accepted as declaration of good faith with respect to upholding fully the Moscow decision and will make the signatory party or organization eligible for initial consultation.

“Proposal number two, I consider it the right of a declarant party or organization to appoint the representative which it believes will best present to the Joint Commission its views on the implementation of the Moscow decision.

“However, should such representative for good reason be believed to be antagonistic to the implementation of the Moscow decision or to either of the Allied powers, the Joint Commission may, after mutual agreement, require the declarant party to name a substitute spokesman.

“Proposal number three, it is suggested that it be reworded as follows: individuals, parties and social organizations invited for consultation with the Joint Commission should not after signing the declaration contained in communiqué number five foment or instigate active opposition to the work of the Joint Commission or to either of the Allied powers or to the fulfillment of the Moscow decision.

“Those individuals, parties and social organizations which after signing the declaration contained in communiqué number five do foment or instigate active opposition to the work of the Joint Commission or to either of the Allied powers or to the fulfillment of the Moscow decision shall be excluded from further consultation with the Joint Commission.

“The decision excluding such individuals, parties and social organizations shall be by agreement of the Joint Commission.”

With a view to expediting the resumption of the work of the Joint Commission and the creation of a temporary Korean democratic government, I am prepared to accept the amendments set forth above proposed by the American Commander. I hope that there will thus exist no further reasons for postponing the convocation of the Joint Commission.

In your letter you state that the Government of the United States is at the present time considering a constructive program for the reconstruction of Korean economy and its cultural and political development. I presume that the Joint Commission, in accordance with the Moscow Agreement on Korea, after the completion of the work connected with the formation of a provisional Korean democratic government should consider with the participation of this government proposals from the American and Soviet sides concerning measures of aid and assistance for the political, economic, and social progress of the Korean people, the development of democratic autonomy, and the establishment of the state independence of Korea and present agreed recommendations on these questions.

I am sending a copy of this letter to the Governments of the United Kingdom and China.

Please accept [etc.]

V. Molotov

Moscow, May 7, 1947.

67. Note transmitted to the Secretary of State by the Soviet Ambassador (Novikov) May 8; published with the American reply of May 2 in the Soviet press on May 10. Text printed in Department of State Bulletin, May 18, 1947, p. 995.
68. See footnote 63, p. 639.
69. Adopted by the Joint Commission on April 17, 1946; for text of declaration released April 18, 1946, see Department of State Bulletin, January 26, 1947, p. 173.