Memorandum of Conversation with Y. A. Malik and Ernest Gross

ump UNITED STATES DELEGATION US/A/C.1/2525 TO THE SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY January 5, 1952 January 5, 1952 MEMOR/MDUM OF CONVERSATION 03 SUBJECT: Korea PARTICIPANTS: Mr. Y. A. Malik, USSR Delegation Ambassador Ernest Gross, U.S. Delegation Following the Security Council dinner last night Malik and I fell into conversation when Malik asked whether I "had brought back any new policy from Washington. He said half -jokingly that he hoped we would change our mind and make it possible to have an armistice in Korea. He then proceeded in quito a serious vein to express his "diseppointment" that the discussions were taking so long and said if he had known that this would happen, he would not have made his speech last June. He commented that "never in history has such a thing happened" that negotiations for an armistice 'kept on month after month, and he attributed the blame entirely to our unwillingness to make compromises. I made the obvious reply that we had made very substantial compromises and concessions, that WC had always been sincere in our efforts to reach an armistico on suitable terms, and that WE continued to hope that it would be possible. I said also that in our view the fault for the delays was entirely due to the attitude of the Communist ancgotiators. I said I wanted to ask him very frankly for an explanation of the resolution which Mr. Vishinsky had tabled in Committee 1, calling for a periodic mooting of the Security Council, The questions which I addressed to Mr. Malik were in substance the following: 1. Did the Soviet Government believe that nogotiations could be carried on in Koroa at the same time that the Korean question was boing debated in Paris? 2. How could military matters involving an armistico be discussed other than by responsible military commanders? 3. Did the now Soviet resolution take the place of that part of the Sovict resolution of November 17 which apparently contemplated debate in the General Assembly on Korea? If not, was it the idea of the Sovict Union that there should be a debate in the Security Council at the same time that the debate was taking place in the General Assembly? 1234 SECRET DECLASSIFIED E.O. 12065, Sec. 3-402 State Dept. Guidelines, March 6, .992 By DEB NLT, Date 4-5-85