NORTH INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTATION PROJECT Document Reader

New Evidence on the Korean Edited by James Person June 2010

NEW EVIDENCE ON THE

NORTH KOREA INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTATION PROJECT

DOCUMENT READER

Prepared for the conference:

New Documents and New Histories: Twenty-First Century Perspectives on the Korean War

June 16-17, 2010 Harry S. Presidential Library Independence, Missouri

Organized by

The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library

and

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars’ International Documentation Project

Dear Participant

The North Korea International Documentation Project (NKIDP) is pleased to present you with this “document reader,” which is intended to facilitate and enrich the discussion at the June 16-17 conference “New Documents and New Histories: Twenty-First Century Perspectives on the Korean War,” held at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library in Independence, Missouri. The volume consists of select Russian and Polish archival documents that we hope will provide context for discussion on the Korean War as we mark the 60th anniversary of the conflict.

The collection, compiled by NKIDP is by no means comprehensive, however, in selecting the materials, the editors sought to include some of the most important materials available and made a substantial effort to mine relevant official archives. The document reader is organized chronologically, starting with March 1949 and ending in April 1954.

In compiling these documents, the editors received much appreciated cooperation and assistance from scholars from several countries, reflecting the multinational scope of this project. NKIDP is particularly grateful to Jakub Poprocki for contributing documentation from the Polish Foreign Ministry Archives and Dongkil for contributing new Russian documents. The document reader would not have been ready for distribution had it not been for the diligence of NKIDP interns Kathleen Harrington, Lauren Sungeun Bae, Scott LaFoy, and Will Treece. For his sage advice, the editors would also like to thank Jongdae Shin. The editors are especially grateful to the Korea Foundation, whose support made the translation of many of the documents contained in this reader possible. Last but not least, the editors would like to thank the Hon. Lee H. Hamilton, President and Director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and Dr. Michael Van Dusen, Deputy Director, for providing Center resources for additional document translations.

NKIDP is part of the Woodrow Wilson Center’s History and Public Policy Program, directed by Christian F. Ostermann. The Project was launched in 2006 in cooperation with the University of North Korean Studies ().

James F. Person Coordinator, NKIDP

Christian F. Ostermann Director, History and Public Policy Program New Evidence on the Korean War

List of Documents

1949

1) 18 March: Excerpt from the minutes of a VKP(b) CC Politburo meeting.

2) 20 April: Memorandum of the USSR Minister of the Armed Forces and the Chief of the General Staff to the Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers

3) 18 May: Telegram, Leader of the of Soviet Specialist in Northeast to the Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers about the Results of the Chinese-Korean talks on Military Cooperation

4) 15 September: Memorandum, Soviet ambassador to the DPRK to the Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers.

5) 26 October: [Top Secret] Telegram,