Memorandum, State Department Summary of Telegrams

NLT (Navil A.de)150 OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE DECLASSIFIED WASHINGTON E.O. 12065, Sec. 3-402 State Dept. Guidelines, March 6, 1982 January 8, 1951 By DEB NLT, Date 9-4-85 TOPERET SUMMARY OF TELEGRAMS KOREA The Secretary has sent a personal message to Prime Minister Bevin assuring him that the US proposal to name the Peiping government as aggressors does not mean that the US desires to undertake hostilities against China itself and that we intend to do everything we can to prevent hostilities spreading from Korea to wider areas in the Far East. The Secretary stated that we do not believe that the Communists either in Peiping or elsewhere would extend the theater of war by reason of their being named aggressors, and that we are deeply concerned that the failure of the UN to recognize the present Chinese Communist action as aggression and to name it as such will be the beginning of the end of the UN just as the end of the League of Nations started with the failure to take action under similar circumstances. We believe that this of the utmost importance to the UN and the free world and to the establishment of an orderly interna - tional society. The Secretary stated that the nature and extent of any action that should follow the naming of the Peiping government as an aggressor is another matter. We believe that only practical steps should be taken and great care exercised to avoid steps which would lead to broadening the conflict, and that any action should be taken only follow- ing referral to the UN Collective Measures Committee for consideration. Discussions in New York with representatives of the UK, France, Canada, and Norway on our proposed condemnatory resolution on Chinese Communist aggression revealed that there was at present no agreement as to when such a resolution should be presented and as to its form. UK delegate Jebb announced prior to the discussions that he had received instructions that the Commonwealth Prime Ministers were unanimous that further UN action should be postponed for a week. He pointed out that Rau of India and Pearson of Canada as representatives of Commonwealth governments would be unable to pro- duce a statement of the Gease-fire Group principles under these instruc tions. He assumed the request for a delay meant that the Commonwealth was not of one mind and wanted time to make it up. TPERET