Evening star., 1953-06-25
Rhee Is Firm,
Final i. 5. Plea
Due Tonight
Eisenhower Envoy
Will Try to Get Him
To Accept Truce
By the Associated Press

SEOUL, Friday, June 26.-
President Eisenhower's personal
envoy meets President Syngman
Rhee today in a laSt-ditch effort
to persuade him to accept a
Korean armistice. but Mr.. Rhee
showed no sign Of yielding.
The fiery old South Korean
leader demanded a Showdown
with the Communists" now, to
the cheers of thousands of rally
ing South Koreans yesterday
just before Walter S. Robertson
few in on a hurried trip from
Washington.
The United States State De-
partment's Far East chief told
newsmen on his arrival in Seoul
that a split between South Ko-
rea and it's allies now would
mean victory only for the Com
munists. He carried a secret,
urgent message for Mr.. Rhee.
Capital Rings to Cheers.
AS Mr.. Robertson spoke, the
rubbed old South Korean cap
ital still rung to the cheers of an
estimated 100000 Koreans who
had heard Mr.. Rhee demand
Korean unity by treaty-or by
guns in a fight to the death.
Mr.. Robertson was expected to
meet Mr.. Rhee at his hilltop
home at $50 am. $3.50 pm,
Thursday, EDIT.
The United Nations command
hopes that at that meeting Mr..
Rhee will agree to go along with
an armistice now and let a post
armistice conference try to work
out unity for Korea with words.
not artillery.
Mr.. Robertson flew here hur-
riedly from Washington, with a
short stopover in Tokyo.
Robertson Sees Clark.
He told newsmen South
Korea and the U. N. should
strive Ito achieve not only
peace with honor but also a
free. united, independent Ko-
rea."
He said:
Division now could only re-
suit in victory for the enemy
and needless sacrifice of all for
which our two countries have
contributed so deeply in blood
and treasure"
Mr.. Robertson conferred at
length in Tokyo with Gen. Mark
Clark, U. N. commander. He
was accompanied to Korea by
ELLIS o. Briggs, United States
Ambassador to Korea.
Aims to Line Up Rhee.
The Robertson message pre-
sumably is intended to bring the
balky, 78-year-old President into
line with a truce that was all
but signed before Mr.. Rhee
stymied it-at least temporarily
by arbitrarily releasing q, 900
anti-Red Korean prisoners. Since
then, armistice hopes have hung
suspended between fears of what
Mr.. Rhee viii do next and how
the Reds will react.
Although Mr.. Rhee's speech
yesterday showed no hint of a
change in his policy, both he
and Mr.. Robertson earlier ex-
pressed hope their crucial face
to-face meeting could find a
way to an armistice in this war
ravaged country.
Honorable ArmiStice Is Aim.
Meanwhile, Gen. Clark said in
Tokyo the allies have achieved
their avowed purpose by stopping
Red aggression and pushing the
Communists back across the 38th
Parallel-the jumpof point Of
three years ago.
In an anniversary message to
the U. N. command and its men
of many nations, Gen. Clark
said the ultimate goal remains:
"An honorable armistice, .ol-
lowed by the peaceful unifica-
ton of Korea"
Mr.. Rhee has said the allies
agreed to unity Korea and drive
out the Reds, but top allied
statesmen disagree, holding to
Gen. Clark's statement.
In Seoul, Gen. Maxwell D.
Taylor. United States 9th Army
commander, said in an anniver-
Sary message that American and
other u. N. soldiers have mo
thought of separating from the
Republic of Korea forces"
Mr.. Rhee has written Gen.
Clark that he would yank his
Is divisions from U. N. COM
mand rather than agree to a
truce on present terms. but he
said he would advise Gen. Clark
before doing so.