Memorandum of Conversation

today TMX DEPARTMENT OF STATE SECRET Memorandum of Conversation FE TH DATE: November 30, 1950. SUBJECT: Situation in Korea PARTICIPANTS: H. A. Graves, British Embassy Jeen Daridan, France Amb. Norman J.O. Makin, Australia Amb. Baron Silvercruys, Belgium F. H. Corner, New Zealand Roger Taymans, Belgiun W. Dirkse-van-Schalkwyk, South Africa Faruk N. Berkol, Turkey Amb. Hume Wrong, Canada J. G. de Bous, Netherlands George Ignatieff, Canada Asst. Secretary Rusk, FE COPIES TO: Eigil Nygaard, Norway L. Sattorthwaite, BNA EUR FE NEA BNA 1-1493 In order to bring the representatives of the principal countries contributing military aid to Korea up to date on the latest developments in Korea, Assistant Secretary Rusk arranged a briefing meeting at the Canadian Embassy. The meeting was held at the Canadian Enbassy rather than in the State Department in order to avoid press speculation and questioning. Mr. Rusk thanked the representatives for meeting with him in a body and saving him a great deal of time. Mr. Rusk said that the official military reports of the fighting in Korea were always several hours behind the newspaper headlines which re- flected cabled reports from the front line correspondents. These front line reports usually were more pessimistic than the facts warranted when things were going badly and more optimistic when they were going well. The situation was extremely serious and would not be clarified for two or three days, but our best estimates were that the UN forces would be able to stabilize the line across the waist of Korea without more reinforcements than those already available to them. Because of the shortness of the lines and the long hours of darkness, the Chinese Communists were able in secreey to mass a large mu ber of troops (somewhere in the neighborhood of 200,000) in the mountainous region of north central Korea. It has become increasingly evident that this opera- tion by the Chinese Reds had been planned for a long time and that DECLASSIFIED the E.O. 12065, Sec. 3-402 SECRET State Dept. Guidelines, March 6, 1982 By HC NLT, Date 6-14-74