Exchange of views between the United States and China regarding the future status of Korea and the question of recognizing a provisional Korean government

[In April 1942 the Chinese Government invited the attention of the United States Government to the existence of two rival Korean revolutionary parties operating in China, with adherents in the United States, and stated that it was considering promoting a fusion of these parties and granting recognition to a Korean provisional government. The views of the Government of the United States were requested.

On May 1 the American Ambassador in China was instructed to inform the Chinese Government that the United States Government had no immediate intention of recognizing any one Korean group in view of lack of unity existing among Korean groups and the probability that these groups had little association with the Korean population in Korea. The Ambassador was instructed, however, to add that the United States Government did not desire to stand in the way of the Chinese Government’s taking any step which it considered wisest after full consideration and that the United States Government must also consider in its actions the possible effect on other free movements in the United States desiring formal recognition as governments. A memorandum by the Secretary of State to President Roosevelt preceding the sending of the above instruction indicated that the situation was complicated by the possibility of support by the Soviet Union of some other Korean group. On May 7 the Ambassador in China reported that after reconsideration the Chinese Government had postponed recognition at least Until some more favorable moment.

The correspondence referred to above is not printed in this volume but is reserved for publication with other papers regarding Korea in the regular annual volumes for 1942.]