795.00/1–1251
Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Rusk) to the Secretary of State
Subject: Continued Resistance in Korea.
The importance to our national interests of continued resistance to Communist aggression in Korea is such that we should not abandon such resistance if there is any feasible or practical way to continue it.
The President should direct the Department of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff to use maximum ingenuity and imagination to discover ways and means for continuing the resistance in Korea without unacceptable losses to the U.S. forces engaged. For example, apart from Cheju-do Island, there are many peninsulas along the south coast with narrow approaches to mainland Korea and countless islands around the south and west coast which might be held indefinitely by South Korean and a portion of the present UN forces. This would permit us to establish a vast laboratory for unconventional operations against Asiatic communism, for developing the techniques of organizing Asian manpower, and for developing commando and guerrilla operations against and within Korea itself. It is also assumed that, [Page 67] under these conditions, a maximum air effort would be continued against Chinese and North Korean forces in Korea. The use of these peninsulas and islands will also solve the problem of the disposition of ROK government, armed forces and friendly civilian refugees.
I feel certain that if the President should make it very clear that he wants the maximum effort from our military within the limitations of available resources, that much more can be developed than we now have in mind. It would be very convenient to liquidate the Korean involvement, but we must not let this convenience trap us into missing opportunities for action which would have the most far-reaching political and national interest benefits.
If we decide upon this course of action, we could then say: “We are going to stay in Korea. We are going to to continue to fight alongside our Korean allies. We shall not abandon them. The UN will continue its resistance to aggression.” A statement like that from the President would have the greatest possible benefits not only in Korea but in Southeast Asia and other vital areas.