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2/13/54, Reel 3, T1 k 2, MR. ACHESON: On the 28th of September, I got a message from the President asking me to come back to Washington. I came back and got there the night of the 28th. On the and after the Cabinet meeting, morning of the 29th I went to a Cabinet meeting, President, General Marshall and I went to the Blair House --- I think there was an NSC meeting after the Cabinet meeting, but after that we went to the Blair House where we had lunch together. After lunch General Marshall produced a large map of Korea -- after we'd had lunch, and it was cleared away, and everybody had left. He had some officer with whim whom I don't recall. He produced this large map of Korea on which were the troop dispositions, and gave a report of the situation. He reported that the North Korean army was dissolved -- it was in complete rout -- and the question was, what should General MacArthur be directed p//to to do. I think he toldus that on the 27th a tentative directive or atentative ne(?) a directive had been sent to MacArthur for his comment or opinion on it. KEUNDAN And he now laid this before the President for discussion by us. As I recall TD it, and I think this is borne oulb by General Collins testimony before the ADAM <s COVER MacArthur committee hearings, this map showed a line which was drawn from south north Pyongyang to Wansen -- it was a line slanting from northwest to southeast across Korea -- and it was proposed that MacArthur be told to advance his troops, his whole 8th Army, to this line and hold it at that line. VOICE: Is that the so-called "neck"? VOICES? Yes -- It's one of them -- Yes -- It's one of the short lines -- MR. ACHESON: It is one of the short lines, I don't know whether it's called the neck or not. I recall it as the Pyongyang to Wonsan line. VOICE Dr. Oppehheimer?] Good ports at both ends -- operations MR. ACHESON: And he was told that/north of that line must be conducted by Korean troops and what the Korean troops could accomplish they could accomplish, and what they couldn't accomplish wouldn't be accomplished -- that the 8th Army as such -- or the 10th Corps, that had then been separated -- would be held at