CDKW00234 - Memorandum to the UN on Canada-Korea

This secret memo from the Canadian government intended for the UN Delegation illuminates, again, the emerging split between the Canadians and the Americans (and to a lesser extent, the British) on the issue of Chinese involvement in the Korean conflict. As the question of passing the 38th parallel became more urgent, the Canadians indicated that they were troubled with American positions, particularly those of Dean Rusk and General MacArthur. Since the start of October, the Canadians had been communicating these concerns privately with the Americans. In particular, though, the Canadians explained that they had been led to believe by the Americans that if United Nations forces passed the 38th parallel in the counteroffensive, they would be cautious to leave North Korea’s two northernmost provinces untouched to create a ‘buffer zone’ with the Manchurian border. The Canadians believed that treating American policy as above suspicion and, accordingly, to simply adhere to whatever MacArthur suggested was best militarily, risked eroding the faith of Asian member states in the United Nations. Militarily, the Canadians also expressed their displeasure with MacArthur leading troops north to the Yalu River, in their eyes effectively provoking the Chinese to join the conflict. Diplomatically, this document is also fascinating, as it reveals that neither the Americans nor the British appeared to have made any attempts to communicate or negotiate with the Communist Chinese directly—another point of frustration for the Canadians.