Skip to content

April 14, 1976

Telegram from Washington to Bucharest, SECRET, Regular, No. 083.895

This document was made possible with support from Leon Levy Foundation

TELEGRAM

Sender: Washington

CLASSIFICATION: SECRET

Regular Traffic

Date: 14.04.1976/00:15

No.: 083.895

To:  the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Second Direction – Relations

 

Regarding: the Korean Matter

 

Robert Martens, Head of Regional Affairs within the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs from the Department of State, told Comrade Petre Anghel, Third Secretary, the following things:

 

1. The situation in the Korean Peninsula remains possibly the most explosive one in Asia, with real possibilities to get the big powers involved in the eventuality of a conflict breaking out.

 

2. Lately the political tensions in South Korea are rising. The intensification of anti-government demonstrations contributes to maintain this state of tension and the possibility to have the South Korean administration lose control over the situation, which would bring about an even tougher attitude towards the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, descending into an armed conflict. In addition to the fact that Seoul has a better economic situation, a better trained and better equipped army (the rapport would be 2 to 1 compared to the North Korean army), South Korea is amongst those countries which are capable of producing nuclear weapons, with all the restrictions and preventive measures imposed by the United States of America. All these could compel the Seoul authorities to undertake a military venture.

 

3. Judging from the data of the Department of State, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea asked for a postponement of its foreign debt repayment, which indicates a bad economic situation. That, combined with an inaccurate understanding of the situation in South Korea (where anti-government demonstrations could be interpreted as a sign of the administration’s weakness), could be a reason to accelerate [North Korea’s] attacks on South Korea.

 

4. The Department of State believes that action must be taken with respect to both states to make them abstain from measures or actions which would lead to an increase in the tension on the Korean Peninsula. Therefore, they believe that if the Korean matter cannot be taken off the agenda of the UN General Assembly session, debates should in any case be limited to realities, and sensitive areas which may trigger undesired effects should not be exacerbated.

 

Signed: Corneliu Bogdan

The Embassy of Romania in Washington, D.C., conveys the remarks of Robert Martens, Head of Regional Affairs within the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs from the Department of State, on developments in Korea.


Document Information

Source

Archives of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Matter 220 - Relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, 1976. Obtained by Izador Urian and translated for NKIDP by Eliza Gheorghe.

Rights

The History and Public Policy Program welcomes reuse of Digital Archive materials for research and educational purposes. Some documents may be subject to copyright, which is retained by the rights holders in accordance with US and international copyright laws. When possible, rights holders have been contacted for permission to reproduce their materials.

To enquire about this document's rights status or request permission for commercial use, please contact the History and Public Policy Program at [email protected].

Original Uploaded Date

2012-05-17

Type

Telegram

Language

Record ID

114113

Original Classification

Secret

Donors

Leon Levy Foundation