740.00119 Control (Korea)/5–1847: Telegram
The Political Adviser in Korea (Langdon) to the Secretary of State
priority
109. Cite 671. Russian delegation of Joint Commission expected to arrive Seoul 20th. Advance member states delegation will have only 3 Commissioners this time, General Shtikov73 chairman, General [Page 645] Lebedeff74 who was subcommissioner on government structure last year and Minister Tumkin75 of Moscow Foreign Office who has China Service background. Balasanov76 will act as delegation’s advisor. Sub [U.S.] commissioners will be General Brown chairman, General Weckerling subcommissioner on government and Bunce subcommissioner on consultation with parties and Government personnel. If Soviet delegation is enlarged Calvin Joyner of Military Government will be economic subcommissioner and Colonel Lincoln executive officer, with Clyde B. Sargent of War Department as alternate commissioner in order that I may work with Commission and report its proceedings to Department. Penfield will attend proceedings as American delegation’s advisor until he leaves 3 weeks hence. Opening ceremonial meeting tentatively fixed for 21st.
On eve of reconvening all Koreans but Rhee, Kim Koo, anti-trusteeship, anti-Soviet elements are exulting and expectant. In desperation Rhee, Kim Koo crowd have been trying to stage anti-trusteeship demonstrations, which we have blocked by blanket municipal order forbidding mass political meetings at this time. Concurrently these elements are trying to bulldose all rightist parties and groups into their movement so that the latter might automatically excommunicate themselves from consultation under the Commission’s new rules. Their reasoning seems to be that by boycotting the Commission the American delegation will have no alternative but to set up any extreme leftist if not a Communist provisional government, since the only representatives from the south in such cases would be leftists and all representatives from the north Communists. This we would not do they believe in view of our Government’s declaration of war on communism.
General Hodge and his spokesmen have been reasoning and plain talking with Rhee and Kim Koo on the one hand and, on the other hand, working to dissuade the conservative but politically essential Democratic and Independence Parties from suicide. There are no indications that Rhee and Kim will bend their stiff necks, and they may cause us difficulties. The two major rightist parties named seem to be vacillating between their desire to being represented before the Commission and their fear of going against Syngman Rhee and anti-trusteeship.