Secretary’s Letters, lot 56 D 459, “Korea”

Memorandum by David H. Popper, Adviser to the United States Delegation at the Seventh United Nations General Assembly

secret

Subject:

  • Korea

A meeting was held at the Secretary’s request at 9:30 a.m., October 30, to discuss tactics on Korea in the light of Vyshinsky’s speech.1

The following conclusions were reached:

1.
It was decided that the Secretary should not intervene again in the general debate at this time, although he might perhaps do so next week when this stage of the discussion was nearer to its close.
2.
The question was raised whether the Secretary should have a press conference. This was left open for further investigation.
3.
It was agreed that a probing operation would be conducted to attempt to elicit from the Russians a clear description of the purport of their resolution. The vital issue was the question whether the commission envisaged in the resolution would go to work before or after an armistice had been completed. Questions are to be prepared designed to smoke out the Russians and are to be given to co-sponsors who will be speaking in the debate. At the same time, a suggestion that we talk quietly and directly with the Russians was made but no decision was taken.
4.
A memorandum2 will be prepared for circulation to our friends dealing with Vyshinsky’s general position on prisoners of war: the issue of non-forcible repatriation, the repressive measures against Communist prisoners in the PW camps, etc.

David H. Popper
  1. On Oct. 29, 1952, Vyshinsky made a long statement before Committee I attempting to refute Secretary Acheson’s statement of Oct. 24. Vyshinsky’s speech concluded with a draft resolution calling for establishment of a commission for the settlement of the Korean question made up of the parties directly concerned as well as states which were not participating in the conflict. For a report on the speech, see UN document A/C.1/SR.514, pp. 31—38.
  2. Not printed.