Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson and Selwyn Lloyd

529 UNITED STATES DELEGATION TO THE SEVINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY 23 MEMORANDUM OF CONVIRSATION (31128) Conf scanner SECURITY INFORMATION October , 1952 327 SUBJECT: Korean Question 337 PARTICIPANTS: Mr. Selwyn Lloyd, United Kingdom Delegation Mr. Dean Acheson Mr. Seluyn Lloyd called at my request for a general talk. One of the subjects that Mr. Lloyd mentioned was the Korean issue in the UN. He said that he expected to speak on Thursday after Vyshinsky. He hoped to center his discussion on the question of non-forcible return, the principle of which he would strongly support. He would ask Vyshinsky a series of questions in an effort to find out whether the Russians were really sticking for the idea of repatriation by force. He thought this was an issue on which we had great support in the Assembly and was the one to push. He said that some of his delegation had felt that he should not speak until after our election since the Korean question had become involved in our nolitical discussions. However, he did not see how he would be raising political questions 1f he spoke as he indicated since he saw no ground to believe that there was disagreement in the US on the question of no forcible return. I agreed with this and urged him to speak on Thursday. He said that Mz. Menon of India was working on a proposal (and Mr. Lloyd believed that Mr. Menon was doing this in good faith in a real effort to be helpful) to support the principle of no forcible return and increase the possibilities of an armistice. He thought however that this idea was not very good because there were grave practical difficulties. Apparently Mr. Menon's thoughts were about as follows: That the armistice agreement on prisoners should be somewhat vague, such as an undertaking. Prisoners should be returned and repatriated in accordance with the Geneva Convention. It should provide that this should be carried out and interpreted by a protecting power which might in fact be a group of powers, say the arnistice inspecting powers, with a. neutral chairman. These powers having constructive possession of prisoners would then administer their dispostion. Mr. Menon thought that this would produce an armistice and that if there were any disagreements about its administration they would be with the protecting powers and not with the UN Command. I strongly DECLASSIFIED STCURITY INFORMATION E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or (E) Dept. of State letter, 10-27-76 293 By NLT- He NARS Date 11-29-76