The sequence of communications analyzed here began in April 1953 and ended with
communications in the days after the June 18, 1953 release of an estimated 25,000 North
Korean anti-communist prisoners of war held in prison camps in South Korea.
This paper has also touched on the role of national memory in diplomatic
communications. As Lee seemed to suggest, the Korean people have faced such serious
difficulties in modern history, that South Korean government officials’ actions in office
may have been affected by memories of such troubling events.
President Rhee’s release of the thousands of prisoners--a step taken without adequately
informing the U.S. government and the UNC--led to strong criticism of the South Korean
president. In fact, the U.S.-South Korean alliance was shaken by Rhee’s action. In the
end, however, the alliance held and the armistice was signed.
Lessons from this crisis include the following: allies must trust and respect each other;
allies must consult with each other as much as possible; differences over policy occur, so
steps must be taken to deal with such differences; and various forms of communication
may be necessary.
Convention