Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-07-13
Written PLEDGE.
Reported Given
U. 5. by Rhee
Informed Sources
Declare Robertson
Won Concessions
By the Associated Press

sources in Tokyo and Seoul said
today President Syngman Rhee
has pledged in writing that
South Korea will not obstruct ar
armistice and Mr.. Rhee himself
indicated his country has re-
Taxed it's demand for unificatior
by force.
Meanwhile, the Communists
charged at the Panmunjom truce
meeting today that allied planes
strafed and bombed a prisoner
camp north of Pyongyang last
Friday, killing five United Ma
tionS prisoners and wounding
Is. There was no immediate
U. N. reply to the charge.
No other results of the meet
ing were announced.
Mr.. Rhee said in a statement
that South Korea may change
its methods but not its objective
Of unfying the country.
Rhee Concessions Reported.
A well-informed source told
Associated Press Tokyo Bureau
Chief Robert Eunson that Pres
ident Eisenhower's special en-
voy won sweeping concessions
from Mr.. Rhee-including the
written pledge that South Ko-
rea would not obstruct an ar
mistice. The source said Mr..
Robertson did not wish to en-
barrass Mr.. Rhee by disclosing
them.
Mr.. Rhee repeatedly agreed
not to free any more prisoners.
His order freeing $1,000 POWs
held by the Allies last month
stalemated the nearly-complet-
ed truce negotiations.
The envoy, Assistant United
States Secretary of State Walter
S. Robertson, refused to agree
to Mr.. Rhee's demand that the
United States would walk out
of post-armistice political con-
ference if it failed to make head
way in 80 days on unifying Ko-
rea, the source said.
In return, Mr.. Eunson said,
Mr.. Rhee repeatedly was assured
that the United States would
hold another top-level confer
ence with South Korea-after a
truce signing-to work out a
joint policy, and that the United
States would defend South Ko-
rea If it were attacked.
Others Hear Reports.
These assurances, Mr.. EunSon
learned, were in addition to pre-
vious United States promises of
economic and military aid and
efforts to unity Korea peace
fully.
A Tokyo source told APP re-
porter Glen w. Clements that Mr.
Rhee had signed an agreement
with Mr.. Robertson not to OBJ
struct an armistice and COM
mented: You have come here
and you have conquered me-"
In Seoul APP newsman John
Randolph also heard the report
Optimism for an early truce
was strengthened by an order OF
the United States Information
Service dispatching it's photogra-
piers to the truce conference
site at Panmunjom "by Wednes-
day."
The feeling in allied quarters
is that the Communists want q
truce and will accept it wher
shown proof OF Mr.. Rhee's as
Surance to go along.
The picture was clouded, how
ever, by a hostile Communist
reaction to the result of Mr..
Robertson'S IL conferences with
Mr.. Rhee, as reflected by corfe-
spondents at Panmunjom and
broadcastS by the official Red
radio. heard before Mr.. Rhee's
latest statement.
Says He Has Agreement.
Mr.. Robertson told newsmen
on his arrival in Japan after his
talks with Mr.. Rhee:
1--WE do have agreement with
Mr.. Rhee) to a point where we
are ready to go ahead with an
armistice and sign it,"
However. he expressed con-
Germ over an interview published
in the United States in which
Scripps Howard Correspondent
Jim Lucas quoted Mr.. Rhee as
saying:
1--WE will not accept the armi-
stice, but we have agreed not
to obstruct it for a period of
three months"
NewSmen's queries on this in
terview prompted Mr.. Rhee to
issue the later statement in
which he said method, but not
detectives. of unifying Korea
might be changed, and added,
Some questions require further
exploration at another govern
ment level"
Mr.. Rhee added that until