Foreign Relations of the United States, 1948, The Far East and Australasia, Volume VI

IO Files: US(P)/A/C.1/167

United States Delegation Position Paper

confidential

[Paris,] October 22, 1948.

Problem of the Independence of Korea

problem

The Third Regular Session of the General Assembly will act upon the problem of the independence of Korea. This will involve: (a) consideration of the report of the United Nations Temporary Commission on Korea, and of the Interim Committee report on the consultation of the Temporary Commission with it; (b) determination of the attitude which the General Assembly should adopt with respect to the Government of the Republic of Korea, recently established at Seoul, as well as with respect to individuals claiming to represent another Korean authority; and (c) consideration of further steps which may be undertaken to complete the implementation of the Genenral Assembly resolution of November 14, 1947.

The problem is: What attitude shall the United States adopt in the General Assembly with respect to these matters?

recommendations

The United States Delegation should be guided by the following principles:

1. The United States Delegation should advocate General Assembly acceptance of the view that the Government of the Republic of Korea which has been established in Seoul as a result of elections held on May 10, 1948, under the observation of the Temporary Commission is entitled to be regarded as a lawful government deriving its authority from the will of the people expressed in accordance with the principles established by the General Assembly’s Resolutions of November 14, 1947, and that it is the only such government in Korea.

2. The United States Delegation should support a request for a hearing on the part of the Delegation of the Republic of Korea, pointing out that it consists of elected representatives of the Korean people within the meaning of the General Assembly Resolution of November 14, 1947; it should be prepared also to support that Delegation’s participating debate.

3. In the event that a delegation from North Korea styling itself as representative of the “People’s Democratic Republic of Korea” should seek to obtain a hearing in the General Assembly or in Committee I, the United States Delegation should maintain the view that the members of such delegation cannot be regarded by the General Assembly as elected representatives of the Korean people within the meaning of the General Assembly Resolutions of November 14, 1947, and should point out that the regime which it represents has opposed the work of the Temporary Commission and severely criticized UN because of its efforts to solve the Korean problem. For these reasons the North Korean Delegation is not entitled to be heard at UN, but if the sentiment of the GA or Committee One is such as to favor the granting of a hearing, the US Delegation should not oppose their making a statement as individuals but should oppose their participation in debate.

4. The United States Delegation should (a) support the early withdrawal of all occupying forces from Korea as provided in the General Assembly Resolution of November 14, 1947; (b) advocate steps designed to facilitate the removal of present barriers between regions within Korea, including the dissolution of military or semi-military formations not under the authority of the Republic of Korea; and (c) advocate steps designed to promote unification of the north and south by the participation of the northern minority in the Government of the Republic of Korea in a manner consistent with the status of that government as approved by the General Assembly.

5. The United States Delegation, depending upon developments, should recommend a reconstituted Commission on Korea or the appointment of a mediator or some other UN agency, to accomplish the ends described in the foregoing paragraph. The duties of the Commission (or mediator) should include the following:

(1) to consult and observe in connection with the simultaneous and progressive withdrawal of the armed forces of the occupying powers or to determine factual proof of actual withdrawal. In this connection the General Assembly should provide that the Governments of the USSR and the United States may each appoint one representative to consult with the reconstituted Commission, or with the General Assembly Representative;

(2) to facilitate the removal of present barriers between regions within Korea and the dissolution of military or semi-military formations not under the authority of the Republic of Korea, and to promote unification of the north and south;

(3) to report to the next regular session of the General Assembly, and to consult at discretion with the Interim Committee.

6. The United States Delegation should support approval by the General Assembly of the reports in question together with such conclusions as may be contained therein.(^*)

In pursuance of these aims, the United States Delegation should introduce, at an appropriate time, a draft resolution along the foregoing lines.¹

1. This recommendation is subject to any revision which may appear necessary after a study of the complete reports in official versions. [Footnote in the original]
1. Draft not printed, but for text of November 8, see p. 1321. Originally drafted in the Office of United Nations Affairs of the Department, it was incorporated in a “Background Book” prepared for the U.S. delegation to the Paris meeting of the UN General Assembly and entitled “The Problem of the Independence of Korea”. Delegation experts made changes in the draft which received formal approval at a meeting of the delegation presided over by the Secretary of State on October 27 (doc. US(P)/A/M(Chr)/22). The text was then submitted to the Department for its recommendations.