Evening star., 1944-10-02
Letters to The Star
Pleads Cause Of Freedom
for Korean People
10 the Editor of rns star.

Pleads Cause Of Freedom
for Korean People
10 the Editor Of Tns star.
Korea rapidly Is returning to the news
pages of the American press and re-
ceiving more and more mention over
the radio. For this reason additional
facts about the ancient Korean people
and their unhappy fate as yassals OF
Japan may be of interest to the readers
Of your paper.
A particular significance attaches to
Korea rs the presidential campaign
progresses. The Republican nominee,
Gov. Dewey, already has spoken out in
behalf OF small nations and their right
ful places In civilized world. His OPP
position to secret diplomacy also is
well known. We therefore may assume
that If elected President he would abide
by the constitutional requirement that
treaties be made by and with the advice
and consent of the United States Sem
ate and that he would not resort to the
device Of executive agreements In deal
ing with other nations.
American contact with Korea began
In the last half Of the 10th century
irst with gunboats and bombardment
by our forces, later more amicably when
we persuaded the King and government
to end the hermit kingdoms isolation
and establish diplomatic relations with
us. A treaty was drawn, one section
OF which read: IF other powers deal
unjustly or oppressively with either
government, the other will exert their
good ofnces, on being informed of the
case, to bring about an amicable ar
rangement, thus showing their friendly
feelings" This treaty OF mutual as
sistance was ratified by the United
States Senate in 1883. Thereafter, on
at least one occasion, 1t was invoked
successfully by the Koreans Secretary
OF State Gresham In the Cleveland ad-
ministration was asked by the Korean
Minister to the United States for our
intercession against an even then
menacing Japan. Secretary Gresham
promptly sent message of protest to
the American Minister In Tokyo for
presentation to the Japanese Foreign
Once and in this manner halted Japans
Vaccinations Of the moment Thus did
We, morally and courageously, make
good our solemn word.
In 1905, however, the picture was diff
ferent. A verbal executive agreement
entered into with Japan during the
administration of Theodore Roosevelt
saw the Justice of the establishment
by japanese troops of a suzerainty over,
Korea" Nothing was said OF our treaty
with Korea. and nothing, of course, was
told the United States Senate, a par
ticipant in the making d ratification
Of that treaty. Indeed, nothing pub
licly was known of the agreement until
1t was discovered among the unpub-
lished papers Of Theodore Roosevelt by
Tyler bennett in 1924.
Japan whose rapacity once was stayed
by our living up to our treaty obliga-
tons, saw the plum of fine nation
drop in her lap via the medium of a
secret executive agreement with the
United States. And what is an execu-
tive agreement? Hunter Miller, the
distinguished State Department editor
of treaties, is quoted in the Congress
sional Record December 4, le42) as
follows:
Perhaps no exact definition Of execu-
tive agreement is possible; the term
may be said merely to mean interna-
tional acts of the United States Gov
ernment which are not submitted for
advice and consent to the Senate"
Japan, triumphant over Russia in
1904, already had an army in Korea.
1t was a simple matter to disarm the
small Korean Army, assume control Of
the country, and formally annex it on
August 20, 1910. This date really marks
the beginning of what President Frank
lin D. Roosevelt has termed "Japans
blood-stained march of conquest" on
the Asiatic mainland.
To the many Americans who, like the
undersigned, have sought to bring to
the attention of their fellow country
men the injustice, the indignity and
the indefensible inhumanity which we
visited upon the helpless Koreans, we
feel that now Is the time to right this
wrong. Indeed. the day of Pearl Har-
Dor was the day 1t could and should
have been righted. All efforts, how
ever. to persuade the State Department
to recognize the Korean provisional
government, born of the 1919 revolu-
ton against Japan, have been unavail-
Ing. Nor has any degree of success re-
suited from the plea for arms and mu-
nitions for Korean soldiers, 80 they
themselves may fight to regain free
dom for their country. Great SYM
pathy is expressed for the Korean peo-
pie and admiration for the half-century
struggle of their leader. DR.. syngman
Rhee, but neither he nor his govern
ment. the oldest government in exile,
Is in any way off1cially known or on
cially noticed by the powers s-that-be in
Washington today.
This is the sad chronicle of our treat
ment of 25, 900 900 persons who put their
faith In the word of the American Gov
ernment. The Koreans number more
Christians proportionately than any
other Asiatic race, and they had
civilization boasting solar observatories,
movable type, an encyclopedias OF more
than 100 volumes, a magnetic compass,
an alphabet and other evidences OF great
culture at time when primeval forest
covered Washington and all was quiet
along the Potomac save the swish of
an Indians canoe.