795.00/5–1851
Memorandum of Conversation, by Windsor G. Hackler of the Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs
Subject: Briefing of Ambassadors on Korea
| Participants: | Australia | —Mr. McNichol, Second Secretary |
| Belgium | —Mr. Rothschild, Counselor | |
| Canada | —Mr. Ignatieff, Counselor | |
| Colombia | —Dr. Mejia-Palacio, Minister Counselor | |
| Ethiopia | —Absent | |
| France | —Mr. Millet, Counselor | |
| Great Britain | —Mr. Tomlinson, Counselor | |
| Greece | —Ambassador Politis | |
| Luxembourg | —Absent | |
| Netherlands | —Baron van Boetzelaer, First Secretary | |
| New Zealand | —Mr. Laking, Counselor | |
| Philippines | —Mr. de Castro, First Secretary | |
| Thailand | —Mr. Kridakon, Counselor | |
| Turkey | —Mr. Esenbel, Counselor | |
| Union of South Africa | —Mr. Jarvie, Counselor | |
| United States | —UNA, Mr. Hickerson | |
| FE, Mr. Merchant | ||
| R, Mr. Howe | ||
| EUR, Mr. Allen | ||
| FE, Mr. Hackler | ||
| UNP, Mr. Stein | ||
| Army, Lt. Col. Kaufman | ||
| Army, Captain Pope |
The most recent figures on enemy troop strength were listed as follows:
| NKA on front | —56,000 |
| CCF on front | —289,000 |
| NKA in rear | —147,000 |
| CCF in rear | —268,000 |
| Guerrillas | — 8,000 |
| 768,000 |
Captain Pope reported that before May 16, four Chinese Communist Armies had moved east from their old position northeast of Seoul. On May 16, the enemy had attacked northeast of Seoul and across the front from Chunchon to the east coast.1 Guerrilla activity had been reported in south central Korea for the first time in many weeks.
The Far Eastern Command has rearranged the order of enemy capability by placing the resumption of the offensive in first position. After 24 hours of heavy fighting there are clear indications that four or five CCF Armies plus two others are massing in the Inje-Kapyong sector and all across the US 10th Corps sector. Although the broad aspects of the hostile scheme of movement are not apparent, it is significant that this front is pierced by two important axes, Inje-Hong-chon-Wonju and the Chunchon-Hongchon-Wonju, which offer attractive avenues of advance into UN positions.
Colonel Kaufman reported that on May 17 intensive thrusts by the enemy had forced curtailment of UN patrols in the 1st and 9th Corps sectors. Patrols had been withdrawn in the 10th Corps sector. Today’s [Page 444] report, he said, indicated even more serious enemy activity. One US Company had been isolated in the 10th Corps sector and a task force was at the moment en route to rescue the company. Certain ROK units in the east had been forced to withdraw. UN air operations had been seriously hampered by bad weather.
Mr. Hickerson stated that the US had been gratified by the overwhelming vote in the General Assembly on the strategic embargo resolution.2
- The second phase of the Communist Spring offensive was launched on May 16; by May 21, the U.N. Command had halted the drive, inflicting heavy losses on the Communist forces (see Schnabel, Policy and Direction, p. 389).↩
- Reference is to U.N. General Assembly Resolution 500(V), adopted at the 330th plenary meeting of the General Assembly on May 18; for text, see p. 1988. The vote was 47 to 0, with 8 abstentions (Afghanistan, Burma, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sweden, and Syria), and 5 countries not participating in the voting (Byelorussian SSR, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Ukrainian SSR, and the U.S.S.R.).↩