Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950, Korea, Volume VII

795.00/12–550

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Acting Officer in Charge of Korean Affairs (Emmons)

secret

[Washington,] December 5, 1950.

Subject: Situation in Korea

Participants:	Dr. John M. Chang, Korean Ambassador
	Mr. Dean Rusk, Assistant Secretary for Far Eastern Affairs
	Mr. Arthur B. Emmons, 3rd, Officer in Charge of Korean Affairs

Ambassador Chang called on Mr. Rusk at 11 o’clock this morning by prior appointment. Mr. Rusk briefly reviewed the current military situation in Korea and pressed upon the Ambassador the necessity of not letting oneself be entirely guided or influenced by reports and interpretations with respect to the situation in Korea appearing in the press. He added that he had met with members of the press, and might do so again, to impress upon them in the strongest terms the necessity of calm and accurate reporting on the Korean situation, adding that sensational or distorted handling of the Korean situation in the press could do nothing but give advantage to the enemy. He again emphasized to the Ambassador that he should not permit himself to be unduly influenced by press reports.

The Ambassador spoke to some length as to the terrible consequences to the Korean people of a withdrawal of United Nations forces from Korea and reiterated emphatically a number of times that if the situation came to this point the Korean people, as a nation, would suffer final annihilation at the hands of the Communists. Mr. Rusk reassured the Ambassador that it was not the intention of the United States in any sense to abandon the campaign in Korea or to withdraw our forces short of being absolutely forced to do so by military events, and that the Ambassador should realize that the military situation was not hopeless and might yet be stabilized. Mr. Rusk also emphasized that there were overriding military factors rather than political considerations, which dictated certain specified courses of action which we were now following in Korea and that all aspects of the situation were being given the closest attention.

The Ambassador again stressed the determination of the Korean Government and people to continue the fight against Communism to the last, and in this connection he mentioned the one-half million Korean youths who, if supplied with arms, were only too eager to add their weight to the forces combatting the Chinese Communists. He hoped that Mr. Rusk had conveyed his thoughts on this subject, expressed in his conversation of yesterday, to the Secretary.

While again stressing that there was no disposition on the part of the United States to withdraw its forces from Korea short of being militarily forced to do so, Mr. Rusk suggested that perhaps the Ambassador might wish to give some consideration to eventualities should this happen and to the possible establishment of a Korean Government in exile. He suggested that this might form an appropriate topic of conversation for the Ambassador’s visit with him tomorrow at 11 a. m.

The Ambassador stated that although he had heard that his appointment with the President for tomorrow had been cancelled, he very urgently desired to see the President at the request of President Rhee and hoped that even a very brief interview could be arranged for tomorrow. Mr. Rusk replied that he would take up the Ambassador’s request.