CDKW00609 - A Calculated Reduction

On 10 August 1953, J. Thomson of the Office of the High Commissioner for the United Kingdom sent this letter and attached memorandum from the British government, outlining a proposal to gradually scale back the Commonwealth Forces in Korea. Thomson’s letter indicated that the Korean armistice had been concluded, and thus there would need to be a phased plan to reduce Commonwealth troops on the peninsula. Troops remaining behind would act as security forces to uphold the armistice, and the included memorandum stated that these commitments could be required for a considerable length of time. Interestingly, this memorandum notes that the swift removal of all Commonwealth troops would be the most desirable outcome for the UK, but that outrage from the Americans and the collaborative spirit of the United Nations present overriding factors that compel them to seek a gradual exit from the Korean conflict. Given these considerations, the United Kingdom proposed a three-stage exit plan, under which Canada’s involvement would be reduced to a single infantry brigade and one destroyer or frigate. Ottawa wanted to bring all Canadian troops home in response to the armistice, but between pressure from Washington and this counsel from London, decided in September that maintaining a pared-down force on the condition that it was treated as the first step towards a full withdrawal.