Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, Korea and China, Volume VII, Part 1

Lot 55D128: Black Book, Tab 149: Telegram

The Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Commander in Chief, Far East (Ridgway)

secret
operational immediate

Washington, 24 December 1951—5:04 p. m.

JCS–90388. Personal for General Ridgway. Reur C–59942 and C–59976¹ in which UNC proposal for principle nr four contains phrase “so as to facilitate the holding by both sides of a political conference of a higher level.”

As indicated in part V JCS 90083² considered here important that any recommendation under item 5 of agenda should be in general terms, that is, a recommendation to “governments and authorities concerned that early steps be taken to deal with these matters at a political level” and that there should be no commitment in Armistice agreement as to who shall participate in subsequent political discussions and in what capacity or to the form or forum of any such discussions. For your background current thinking here on this subject is set forth in detail in State telegram 393 to United States General Assembly Delegation in Paris³ repeated to USPolAd Tokyo today.

1. Dated December 22 and 23, respectively, pp. 1420 and 1426.
2. Dated December 19, p. 1377.
3. Dated December 8, p. 1282.