White House Press Release, Statement by President Harry S. Truman

IMMEDIATE RELEASE IMMEDIATE RELEASE IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 27, 1952 STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT Last Friday night in Detroit, the Republican candidate for President made a speech discussing the decision to withdraw United States occupation forces from Korea in 1949. That speech contained so many misquotations or quotations out of context that it was clearly an attempt to deceive the American people. Among other things the candidate sought to create the im- pression that this decision was made over the objections of the professional military men of the United States. This is not true. The professional military men of the United States recommended the de- cision. General Eisenhower himself was one of the men who recommended the decision which he now so bitterly criticizes. Here a re the facts: 1. The text of the Detroit speech of the Republican candidate for President contains the following statement: "The terrible record of these years reaches its dramatic climax in a series of unforgettable scenes on Capitol Hill in June of 1949. By then the decision to complete withdrawal of Americin forces from Korea -- despite menacing signs from the North -- had been drawn up by the Department of State. The decision included the intention to ask Congress for aid to Korea to compensate for the withdrawal of American forces" This statement is a combination of falsehood and truth so interwoven as to create a completely false impression. It is an attempt to blame the Department of State for a policy urged by the Department of the Army, a policy which General Eisenhower "NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND himself supported. RECORDS The withdrawal of American forces from Korea was proposed GOVERW in May 1947 by Secretary of War Robert Patterson, a Republican (Forrestal, Diary, p. 273). In Spetember of 1947, the State Department requested the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the maintenance of United States troops in South Korea. In its request, the Department of State pointed out that a stalemate had been reached with the Soviet Union over Korea, and Stated that consideration was being given to what further steps should be taken to implement United States policy in Korea. In order that such consideration might include the basic elements, the Department of State requested, as a matter of urgency, the views of the Joint Chiefs regarding the interest of the United States in the military occup ation of Sc. th Korea from the point of view of the military security of the United States. The reply of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was transmitted by the Secretary of Defense, James Forrestal, in a memorandum which he sent to S cretary of State George Marshall on September 26, 1947. In this reply the Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that the United States had little strategic interest in maintaining our troops and bises in Korea. The reply of the Joint Chiefs went on to explain that our limited military manpower could be better used elsewhere, and that the withdrawal of our forces from Korea would not injure the military position of the Far East Comand unless, as a result, South Korea were used by the Soviets to build up strength for a major offensive against Japan. They pointed