Telegram from Secretary of State Dean Acheson to the Department of State

P.2 INCOMING TELEGRAM Department of State RE SECRET SECURITY INFORMATION 5-1-X Action Control: 4448 UNA Rec'd: November 13, 1952 FROM:New York 1:39 a.m. Info SS TO: Secretary of State G EUR NO: DELGA 180, November 12, 1952, 11:45 p.m. NEA ARA DECLASSIFIED FE PRIORITY L DS Authority FRUS 1952-54 V&P.VV LIMITED DISTRIBUTION Re Korea. By DEB NLT Date 3-20-85 Selyn Lloyd (UK) called on Secy this afternoon and handed Secy in confidence draft text reproduced below. Lloyd stated he had used our draft suggestions (DELGA 151 with modifications) to clarify points in Menon's text. Lloyd felt his text now reflected what we had in mind. After reading Lloyd text, Secy stated it was indeed now almost frighteningly clear where efforts like Mènon's wld lead us. Even on cursory review of text it was clear to Secy that, though we had started on basis we would not use force to repatriate prisoners, we had now reached point where if this res were passed we would be starting PWs on road to forced repatriation. We would be compelled to turn over prisoners by force to Repatriation Commission which seems to have only one alternative, i.e., to send prisoners of war home. Comm is given no guidance whatever re fate of prisoners who resist repatriation and would presumably have to hold them indefinitely, subject them to Communist haranguing until they give up and decided to go home. Under this resolution, it is even possible that Comm might request Chinese Communist troops to guard prisoners now in hands of UNC. Also, text contemplates possibility that PW question might not be finally disposed of and might be submitted to Post-Armistice Conference. Lloyd defended his text as designed to be acceptable to Chinese Communists and thus to produce armistice. This, he said, was the only way in which we cld avoid second phase of Korean problem in GA which we wld now have to face under new administration with unknown results. Lloyd stated he wld ac nothing re his text until he heard further from us. Secy assured him we cld not ask Dept and JCS to accept anything like his draft. Lloyd's text follows: VERBATIM TEXT QUOTE THE GA REPRODUCTION FROM THIS -114 COPY, IF CLASSIFIED, I$ SECRET SECURITY INFORMATION PROHIBITED 117 16-67338-1 GPO