MINUTES MONDAY, JULY 13, 1953 UNITED STATES SENATE, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee appointed to consider commercial treaties met at 10 a.m. in the Foreign Relations Committee room. Members of the subcommittee are: Senator Hickenlooper, chairman, Senators Ferguson, Knowland, Sparkman, and Humphrey. Present: Senator Hickenlooper. The treaties considered were those of friendship, commerce, and navigation with Israel, Ethiopia, Italy, Denmark, Greece, Germany, and Japan. For record of proceedings, see official transcript. The subcommittee adjourned at 11:45 p.m. (658) MINUTES MONDAY, JULY 13, 1953 UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee appointed to consider S. Con. Res. 27 and S. n. Res. 32, resolutions relating to disarmament, met at 2:30 p.m. the committee room. Subcommittee members are: Senator Smith of New Jersey, chairin, Senators Hickenlooper, Knowland, Green, Sparkman, and llette. Present: Senators, Smith, Green, and Gillette. The subcommittee discussed the question of hearings. Senator reen felt that hearings should not be held at this time. It was nator Gillette's thought that perhaps they should be held. Senator nith stated he desired to consult with other members of the submmittee. He plans to do so between now and the regular meeting y of the committee on Tuesday, July 21st. No official record was kept of this meeting. (659) MINUTES TUESDAY, JULY 14, 1953 UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, Washington, D.C. The committee met in executive session at 10 a.m. in the com mittee room. Witnesses were: Under Secretary of State Walter Bedell Smith. Warren E. Burger, Assistant Attorney General (Civil Division). Department of Justice, Francis Green, General Counsel, Maritime Administration. No action was taken on the bill. For record of proceedings, see official transcript. The committee adjourned at 12:10 p.m. (660) REPORT BY THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FAR EASTERN AFFAIRS1 [Editor's note: A major break in the deadlocked Korean war negotiations curred on March 28, 1953, when the Chinese and North Koreans agreed to an change of sick and wounded prisoners and proposed a resumption of formal mistice discussions. The exchange was carried out between April 20 and ay 3, and the armistice talks resumed at Panmunjom on April 26. An agreeent on prisoners of war-the main roadblock in the way of settlementas signed on June 8, but the prospects of peace were immediately put jeopardy by the South Korean Government's connivance in the escape ? more than 25,000 prisoners in its custody. The armistice talks were susended on June 18, precipitating Assistant Secretary Robertson's June 25uly 11 trip to Korea for discussions with President Rhee. With a commitment om Rhee not to make further disruptions, discussions were resumed and an rmistice was signed on July 27. Prisoners were exchanged at Panmunjom 1 August and September; a U.S.-South Korean mutual defense treaty was itialed in Seoul on August 8. Attention then turned to efforts to arrange a olitical conference.] THURSDAY, JULY 16, 1953 UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, Washington, D.C. The committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:00 a.m., in the Foreign Relations Committee room, U.S. Capitol, Senator Alexander Wiley (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators Wiley (chairman), Smith of New Jersey, Tobey, Langer, Ferguson, Knowland, Green, Sparkman, Gillette, Humphrey, and Mansfield. Also present: Dr. Wilcox, Dr. Kalijarvi, Mr. Marcy, and Mr. Holt of the committee staff. [The committee first considered and ordered reported the nominations of Frances E. Willis to be Ambassador to Switzerland, John Alanson Perkins to be a U.S. Representative at the Second Extraordinary Session of the General Conference of UNESCO, and H. van Zile Hyde to be U.S. Representative on the Executive Board of the World Health Organization. Legislation was approved creating the Corregidor Bataan Memorial Commission, authorizing Michigan to construct and operate toll bridges across the St. Mary's river to Ontario, providing for the Nogales sanitation project, and providing for a study of proposals to modify existing peace and security organizations. A proposal to amend legislation creating a Niagara Falls bridge commission was passed over. The committee then heard a report from Assistant Secretary of State Robertson on his trip to Korea.] 1 See appendix E. The CHAIRMAN. We have the privilege to have before us this mor ing, Assistant Secretary of State Walter S. Robertson, who w report to us on his recent mission. He has not had any sleep for 48 hours, but looks as fresh as cu be, and I am sure that from press reports he did a grand job, m I want to say to you, sir, that we welcome you back to God's country Now, sir, carry on in your own way. Mr. ROBERTSON. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. It is gox. to be back in God's country. Senator SPARKMAN. May I suggest that according to Syngmr Rhee, the statement should be "Veni, Vidi, Vici." STATEMENT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FAR EASTERN AFFAIRS WALTER S. ROBERTSON, ACCOMPANIED BY KIL NETH T. YOUNG, JR., DIRECTOR, NORTHEAST ASIAN AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT OF STATE Mr. ROBERTSON. Gentlemen, I arrived here late yesterday morning accompanied by a very troublesome Korean bug, which required lot of paregoric, and I had literally had only 2 hours sleep t night previous. So, after reporting to the President and Secretary Dulles, I ve off to bed and stayed there until this morning. I did not know, until I got to Washington, that I was going * have to appear before you gentlemen this morning, and so statement that I am about to read to you was hastily put togethe and it is in no sense comprehensive. I hope, however, that the statement, plus the answers I sh attempt to give to your questions, will give you a clear picture <! our mission to Korea. SAVING THE FACE OF MR. RHEE Senator SMITH of New Jersey. Is any of this classified? I mes the press has been after me, as to what you have to say. Mr. ROBERTSON. I think as we go along that you gentlemen agree that maybe part of this you do not want to be publishe anywhere. Senator FERGUSON. Will you designate that as you go along! Mr. ROBERTSON. All right, sir. Senator FERGUSON. In your opinion. Mr. ROBERTSON. May I say here that Mr. Rhee, in order to make an agreement with us, had to reverse himself on most of the thre he said he would never do. Now, all of you gentlemen who know the Oriental well rese that that is a very difficult thing for him to do, to save not only his face with his people, but to give them justification for reversing s position. That is the reason I have carefully stayed away from ma any statements, or doing any bragging about what we accomplishes and you can appreciate that, the more you destroy his face, the mor difficult you make it for him to collaborate with us. |