Skip to content

May 8, 1974

Telegram from Washington to Bucharest, SECRET, No. 78.028

This document was made possible with support from Leon Levy Foundation

TELEGRAM

Sender: Washington

CLASSIFICATION: SECRET

Date: 08.05.1974/

No.: 78.028

 

On May 7th, I gave the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs, J. [John A.] Armitage, the messages sent by the Supreme People’s Assembly in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the President of the US Senate, Gerald Ford, and, respectively, to the Speaker of the House, Carl Albert.

 

J. Armitage said that he receives these messages while reserving the right to tell us his potential reactions afterwards. He mentioned that in the current circumstances the State Department had great reserves vis-à-vis such a way of communicating between the parliaments of two countries, the United States of America and North Korea, which do not have official state-to-state relations. Moreover, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State underlined, those messages had been sent to the US Congress after being released publicly and after the Americans learned that those messages did not include any concrete proposal.

 

The Department of State does not want such a way of communicating, in which the Department of State was involved, and which could stir up undesired reactions in Congress, become permanent.

 

Signed: Corneliu Bogdan

 

Sent to: Nicolae Ceausescu; Stefan Andrei; First Direction – Relations; Third Direction – Relations

The Romanian representative in Washington note the delivery of the North Korean message to the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs. The telegram notes that the US State Department does not wish this kind of communication between Pyongyang and Washington to be permanent.



Related Documents

May 13, 1974

Letter from Government of North Korea

Letter from The Supreme People’s Assembly of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the U.S. Senate formally proposing that talks be held for the conclusion of a peace agreement between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the United States of America.

February 13, 1973

Telegram from Beijing to Bucharest, SECRET, Urgent, No. 059.139

Gavrilescu speculates the possibilities that DPRK Foreign Minister Heo Dam meets Kissinger as well as that the inter-Korean conflict is raised as a major issue in Sino-American negotiations.

May 5, 1973

Telegram from the First Directorate to Washington, DC, No.01/04493

North Korea asks Romania to forward a letter to the president of the US Senate, Spiro T. Agnew, and separately, the Speaker of the House, Carl Albert. The letter, adopted by the DPRK Supreme People’s Assembly, will request the US to withdraw its forces from the Korean Peninsula, terminate military aid to South Korea, and dismantle the UN Commission for the Unification and Reconstruction of Korea.

June 7, 1973

Telegram from Washington, DC, No.084.504, Urgent, SECRET

Romanian official in the US warns Bucharest that relaying the letter from the DPRK to US public officials in the manner requested by Pyongyang may damage Romanian relations with the US. The official recommends a more normal procedure recommended to him by US officials and suggests convincing the North Koreans to follow a different method of sending its message to US congress.

June 26, 1973

Telegram from Washington, DC, No.084.605, Urgent, SECRET

Romanian officials in Washington report that they submitted the letter from the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, intended for the US congress, to the US State Department. The US official in contact with the Romanians described North Korea's attitudes towards the joint accession of the two Koreas to the UN as unrealistic.

March 24, 1974

Telegram from Pyongyang to Bucharest, SECRET, Urgent, No. 060.127

In the aftermath of the failed inter-Korean dialogues, the North Koreans conclude that they must establish diplomatic relations with the United States. The telegram describes the rationale behind the move and the goal of limiting the interference of the United States on the Korean Peninsula. According to the author, North Korea believes that the rejection of the US to establish relations with the DPRK will expose Washington's opposition to the unification of Korea.

April 22, 1974

Telegram from Pyongyang to Bucharest, SECRET, Urgent, No. 060.180

Heo Dam seeks to replace the armistice with a peace treaty and establish direct contact with the United States to remove American troops from the peninsula.

February 7, 1973

Telegram from Pyongyang to Bucharest, SECRET, Urgent, No. 061.041

Based on Yugoslavian sources, a Romanian diplomat reports that Kim Yeong-ju may have met Henry Kissinger and Lee Hu-rak in Paris for discussions on U.S.-DPRK and inter-Korean relations respectively.

Document Information

Source

Archives of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Matter 220 - Relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, 1974.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

114086

Original Classification

Secret

Donors

Leon Levy Foundation