Office of the Historian

795.00/6–2951

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Director of the Office of Northeast Asian Affairs (Johnson)

top secret
[Washington,] June 29, 1951.

Subject: Korean Armistice (Meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 10:30 A. M., June 29)

Participants: General Bradley Mr. Rusk
General Collins Mr. Johnson
General White
Admiral McCormick
Vice Admiral Davis

The meeting discussed informally the suggestions received from General Ridgway at a Telecon the preceding night (DA TT 4890)1 concerning the text of his proposed message to the other side.

It was the consensus of the meeting that the text suggested by General Ridgway unnecessarily involved questions of Communist Chinese prestige to a degree that might well jeopardize any possibility that there might be that armistice talks could be developed. However, there was general acceptance of General Ridgway’s suggestion that the place of the meeting be suggested in the message.

The message was thereupon redrafted to the text released. It was agreed that immediately upon approval by the President2 the text would be transmitted to General Ridgway with instructions to release the message at 6 P. M., June 29, Washington time (8 A. M., June 30, Tokyo time) .3

[Page 587]

A JSSC draft paper4 on instructions to General Ridgway concerning armistice terms was informally and briefly considered.

There was general agreement that reconsideration should be given particularly to those portions of the paper which suggested that the armistice terms require the other side immediately to undertake “peace negotiations” and limit the duration of the armistice to a period of 21 days with a possible extension for one additional period of 21 days.

It was agreed that a working group should be established to draft instructions to General Ridgway for consideration by State and the JCS at a meeting later in the day.

  1. Supra.↩
  2. See Truman, Years of Trial and Hope, p. 458.↩

  3. The message and instructions were sent to General Ridgway by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in telegram 95258, June 29, 12:27 p. m. (Lot 55D128: Black Book: Tab 16–B). The message was also sent to the U.S. Mission at the United Nations and to the Embassy in Seoul for transmission, prior to release, to Secretary-General Lie and President Rhee, respectively (795.00/6–2951). As printed in the Department of State Bulletin, July 9, 1951, p. 43, the text of the message broadcast by General Ridgway read as follows:

    “Message to the Commander in Chief, Communist Forces in Korea.

    “As Commander in Chief of the United Nations Command I have been instructed to communicate to you the following: ‘I am informed that you may wish a meeting to discuss an armistice providing for the cessation of hostilities and all acts of armed force in Korea, with adequate guarantees for the maintenance of such armistice.

    “‘Upon the receipt of word from you that such a meeting is desired I shall be prepared to name my representative. I would also at that time suggest a date at which he could meet with your representative. I propose that such a meeting could take place aboard a Danish hospital ship [Jutlandia] in Wonsan Harbor.’”

    ↩
  4. Not printed.↩