Office of the Historian

264. Memorandum From Richard Smyser and David Elliott of the National Security Council Staff to Secretary of State Kissinger, Washington, February 28, 1975.1 2

Washington, February 28, 1975

MEMORANDUM
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

ACTION

February 28, 1975

MEMORANDUM FOR: SECRETARY KISSINGER
FROM: W.R. SMYSER [WRS initialed]
DAVID D. ELLIOTT [DDE initialed]

Development of U.S. Policy Toward South Korean Development of Nuclear Weapons

At Tab A is a draft State cable to Embassy Seoul informing the Embassy of the approach we are using to formulate a policy toward South Korea’s development of the nuclear capability. The cable also responds to Ambassador Sneider’s recommendations on this question (Tab B); we are in essential agreement with Sneider.

Specifically, the draft State cable:

  • — Agrees that the ROK has entered the initial stage of nuclear weapons development.
  • — Affirms that ROK continuation on this course would have a decidedly a stabilizing effect in Northeast Asia.
  • — Defines our basic objective as (1) to discourage and (2) to inhibit the ROK effort to develop a nuclear explosive capability or delivery system.
  • — Stresses the need to develop our policy toward Korea on this issue within the multilateral framework which we are using for global policy on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
  • — States that, in consonance with this multilateral approach, we are at present considering the following courses toward the ROK:
    • * Inhibit ROK access to sensitive technology and equipment both through unilateral U.S. action and through the development of common supplier nation policies.
    • * Press the ROK to ratify the NPT. (The ROK has told us recently that it intends to proceed to ratify the NPT in the near future.)
    • * [text not declassified] increase our information on the current state of ROK technical development in this area.

We have no objection to the draft State cable.

RECOMMENDATION:

That you approve the draft State cable to Embassy Seoul at Tab A.

APPROVE [initialed]

DISAPPROVE

  1. Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Presidential Country Files for East Asia and the Pacific, Box 9, Korea [4]. Secret; Sensitive. On behalf of Kissinger, Scowcroft initialed his approval of the draft State cable. Tab A is attached but not published. Tab B, not attached, is likely telegram 8023 from Seoul, referenced in Document 263. The Department sent the cable on March 4 as telegram 048673 to Seoul. (Ibid., Box 11, Korea, DOS Cables, NODIS from SECSTATE [3])↩
  2. Smyser and Elliott recommended that Kissinger approve a Department of State cable addressing the development of nuclear weapons in South Korea.↩