Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, The Geneva Conference, Volume XVI

396.1 GE/3–1054: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in the Republic of China¹

confidential

Washington, March 13, 1954—10:31 p.m.

771. Reference your 493.² The Geneva conference on Korea and Indochina is not an international conference on the Far East. That is precisely what Secretary refused to be party to. The Korean Political Conference was called for in the Armistice Agreement³ and the United Nations Resolution of August 28, 1953.⁴ It is exactly what we endeavored unsuccessfully for six weeks to arrange at Panmunjom. It is a clear-cut conference between the two sides engaged in the fighting uncluttered by neutrals. The sole objective is to negotiate a peaceful agreement for a unified independent Korea. Geneva was agreed upon last August between Secretary and President Rhee as one of the places which would be acceptable. Recognition de facto or otherwise for CPR is neither involved nor implied. ROK and those nations under the United Nations Command are negotiating with the Soviet-Communist side as the enemies responsible for the aggression. Berlin Communiqué and other data sent you in our opinion made this abundantly clear. Conference on Indochina to be held simultaneously with Korean Political Conference will include USSR and CPR as quasi belligerents. Obviously no agreements could be effective which did not bind the perpetrators of the conflict. If our Chiefs of Mission are confused by communists propaganda about Geneva it is small wonder that our Asian allies are more so.⁵

Smith

1. Drafted by Robertson of FE.
2. Dated Mar. 10, not printed. The Embassy in Taipei had reported to the Department that the Chinese Government probably would object strongly to the attendance of the People’s Republic of China at “an international conference, especially one concerned with the Far East and above all one to which the Chinese Government itself is not invited.” (396.1 GE/3–1054)
3. Paragraph 60 of the Armistice Agreement, signed on July 27, 1953 at Panmunjom, contained a recommendation by the military commanders of both sides to the governments concerned that a political conference be held to settle the questions of the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Korea, the peaceful settlement of the Korean question, etc. Text printed in American Foreign Policy, 19501955: Basic Documents, vol. i, p. 742.
4. UNGA Resolution 711 (VII) welcomed the holding of the proposed political conference recommended in the Armistice Agreement; the text is printed ibid., vol. ii, p. 2676.
5. In telegram 512 from Taipei, Mar. 16, not printed, Ambassador Rankin took issue with the Department’s comment that the Chief of Mission was “confused by Communists’ propaganda.” (396.1 GE/3–1654) The Department, in telegram 789 to Taipei, Mar. 22, not printed, informed the Embassy in Taipei that confusion had been general in high levels at home and abroad on this subject. (396.1 GE/3–1654)