740.00119 Control (Korea)/8–2847: Telegram
The Chargé in the United Kingdom (Clark) to the Secretary of State
4682. 1. Note and letter contained Department’s telegrams 3704 and 3705 August 2688 delivered Foreign Office this morning. Foreign [Page 775] Office assured us Foreign Secretary who out of London will be apprised of contents at once.
2. When delivering note we were orally informed Foreign Office had learned from British Embassy Washington general terms of Department’s proposals. Further on August 18 Foreign Office had cabled British Embassy to inform Department United Kingdom Government willing participate in proposed Four Power talks on Korea. Foreign Office this morning orally confirmed willingness to participate and said formal acceptance will be forthcoming soon.
3. Foreign Office also told us that at Moscow 1945 conference United Kingdom had informed Byrnes and Molotov that if trusteeship established Korea, Australia would replace United Kingdom as Commonweath member. While Foreign Office considers it impracticable for Australia to represent Commonweath at proposed Washington conference, Foreign Office states United Kingdom feels obliged to keep Australia informed of all developments pertaining to conference.89
4. Foreign Office expressed view orally to us this morning that while it not sanguine over outcome proposed Washington conference, it feels Department’s proposals are logical step in development Korean problem, and that if nothing else conference talks will serve to clarify Korean problem to world.
- See footnotes 87 and 85, pp. 773 and 771, respectively.↩
- The British acceptance, dated September 5, followed lines indicated in this telegram and was transmitted to the Department in telegram 4850, September 8, 1 p.m., from London, not printed. In the meantime, the Chinese Ambassador (Koo) on September 4 accepted for his Government. (740.00119 Control (Korea)/0–847, 9–447).↩