Minister Koh said twenty Embassies
in Washington, and his i{mpres Embassies did not find the
resolution as drafted last September too rigid -- on the contrary they
very enthusiastic. He had made two main points in these conversations, first,
‘the new. administration in Korea, and second the willingness of this adminis-
tration to abide by UN supervision of elections. The ROK Observer Mission

d drawn up a list of delegates, divided according +o their
certainty of support, and the Embassy in Washington had concentrated upo
Embassies which might abstain. Accordingly, he did not see the necessity for

the proposed change in the resolution.

M, Steeves replied that in our view support for the resolution a8
previously drafted might go as low as SS or 50, little mre than half the
enlarged UN membership. We had made this proposal for Korea, but certainly
did not wish to have the Korean position undercut, and certainly should re-
think our proposal if was losing something
essential. Mr. Steeves recalled that the General Assembly,
good friends of the United States had brought up the Korean item as one of
three or four so-called “cold war" items, and asked whether something could
not be done about it. There had even been suggestions that the Korean item
be taken off the agenda. He had responded that to take the item off this year
would be a bad thing to do of the recent Korean demonstration to
the world of domestic progress, th administrative reforms, and
increased activity in diplomatic It would thus be interpreted as
condemmation rather than encouragement of the changes in Koreae

Mr. Bacon pointed out that the proposed resolution wold bring out north
Korean reluctance to hold any free elections, which was the essence of their
opposition to the existing formla. Moreover, the proposed wordi

actually repress in reality -- any supervision of elections
would be by peop ng nations accepted by the United
Nations. Mr. Bacon sed wording specified that
international supervision would be spices.

Ambassador Chang asked whether it would be possible to get indications
of how mich added support the revised resolution would have. Mr. Macdonald
said that it was fairly sure that in light of past years Canada and New
Zealand would act as co-spon SOTS Wo detailed inquiries had been made in
Korea, but the general feeling in the United States
UN as well as in Washington was that there would be more support
for the Korean item 4f it could be taken out of the cold ware

At this point Mr. Steeves read to the Ambassador the United States
{liustrative text of the propos ed resolution.

The Ambassador acknowledged that the resolution represented no change in
spirit, but he was concerned with the impression among the Korean people that
the U. S. Government was weakening in its position toward the ROK. They would

geal

 

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