 This is the story of the Pacific and the millions of people who live around this greatest sea. The drama of the people whose destiny is at stake in the Pacific War. This is the background to the war in the Pacific and its meaning to us and to the generations to come. Tonight's Pacific story comes to you as another public service with drama the past and present and an official statement of the U.S. State Department in reference to the complex Korean question. The paradox of Korea. The Korean provisional government has been seeking the recognition of the United States. When the provisional government of Korea was democratically organized by representatives of the people in Korea, it was given a clear mandate to carry on until Korea becomes free, at which time it will be replaced by a permanent government of the people. So say the Korean, but the U.S. government has been unbending. The Korean provisional government does not have the qualifications for recognition by the United States as a governing authority. But against this, some Americans have taken strong positions on behalf of Korea. America sold Korea down the river. With the restoration of Korea's independence, one of the greatest crimes of the 20th century will have been rectified. In 1882, the United States entered into a treaty with Korea. If other powers deal unjustly or oppressively with either government, Korea, or the United States, the other will exert their good offices on being informed to bring about an amicable arrangement, thus showing their friendly feelings. America and Korea drew closer together. Well, guess we're on our way. Yes, going to be a great experience. Lots of possibilities in Korea. What are you going to do in Korea? Build a railroad for one thing and maybe a streetcar system. Very good. Very good. I'm going to put in an electric power plant and some waterworks. Several other Americans aboard are bound for Korea, too. That's so. Yes. One going over to develop some mines. Another to do some work on agriculture. Yes, we can make Korea a modern nation. That's my thinking. No reason why not. Korea made great strides in progress, but watching every development was Japan. If we have to gain a foothold on the mainland of Asia, it must be in Korea. In 1894 and 95, the Japanese defeated the Chinese. Ten years later, they defeated the Russians. Korea became a pawn in the settlement of the Russo-Japanese War. What? I can't believe it. It's outrageous. Teddy Roosevelt has turned Korea over to the Japanese. That's exactly what's happened. The Japanese at the Portsmouth Conference demanded that Korea be made a protector of Japan. How could Teddy Roosevelt turn over to Korea? My people back in the States tell me he did it to appease the Japanese. To satisfy the Japanese militarists. This will never satisfy them. You know what this means? Of course I know what it means. It means that American business is through in Korea. Yes, and it means from now on we can expect trouble with Japan. This is just the first step. The Korean mission went to the United States. What of our mutual assistance treaty of 1882? Surely America will not repudiate its agreement to help us. The United States became the first nation to withdraw its minister from Korea. The treaty of 1882 was forgotten. The Japanese moved in and occupied Korea. We shall be frank about it. We are carrying on things with a high hand in Korea. So said the Japanese. We have gone into the backyard of our neighbor and are telling him to move on simply because we need his home. We are doing just as the Americans have done with the Indians, just as the Britons have done with the Hindus, just as the Russians have done with the Tatas, just as France has done in Indochina. Japan has joined the house of a great of powers. The Koreans appealed to the United States to all the world, but were ignored as the Ethiopians 30 years later were ignored. In righteous rage, they rose against their oppressors. You will submit or I will whip you with scorpions. The Japanese dropped all pretence of regarding Korea as a protectorate. In 1910, they made Korea a province of Japan, a province, but with no rights of citizenship, no rights to hold public meetings, and with torture and death to all who dared resist. The Koreans seized under the Japanese tyranny. Nine years later in 1919, they were ready to take definite steps. Two million Koreans in every part of the land gathered all at the same hour and in the face of the Japanese terror. We herewith proclaim the independence of Korea and the liberty of the Korean people. With right on our side, we awaken to a new life. May all the ancestors to the thousands and ten thousand generations aid us from within and all the force of the world aid us from without. In this hope, we go forward. May Korea live ten thousand years. May the world live Korea, independent Korea. Trust the demonstrations with terrorism such as the world has rarely seen before or seen. Set fire to that church and to every one of those houses. That will teach those rebels unless they will never forget. As the Nazis were to do more than twenty years later at Ligete, the Japanese destroyed entire town, massacred the population, burned houses, schools and churches. Yes, all thirty-three of us who formulated and signed the Korean Declaration of Independence did so with full knowledge of the consequences. What happens to us is of little importance. But with this deed, we have served notice upon Japan and upon all the world that we will never see struggling until Korea has regained its independence. Fire! All thirty-three signers of the Declaration of Independence were killed. But the Korean will to be independent still lived. In Shanghai, representative leaders of each of the thirteen Korean provinces met and formed the provisional government of Korea. That same year, 1919, the new government sought to present Korea's case to the peace conference at Paris. We regret that this will not be possible. Why not? The Korean provisional government has not yet been recognized. The provisional government was formed by established leaders of all thirteen of the provinces of Korea, by the representatives of the people of Korea. It must be remembered that Japan was one of our allies against Germany. But Japan's only contribution to the Allied war effort was to take from Germany the Shantung territory in China and the German islands in the Pacific. Besides, Japan illegally annexed Korea and now occupies it in violation of President Wilson's principle of the right of self-determination of people. But instead of considering Korea's rights, Japan was appeased, left in complete control of Korea, and in addition was given a mandate over the marshals in which she fortified in a waytuck in Kwajalein, in which she fortified crook, and the Marianas in which she fortified Saipan. We will not give up. Three years later, during the disarmament conference in Washington, D.C., the Korean provisional government tried again. The provisional government of Korea requests the honor of an interview for the purpose of reviewing the case of Korea with the... Unfortunately, it is not possible to consider at this time the case of Korea. It is regretted that no... A Korean commission to represent the Korean provisional government was established in Washington. The purpose? To work for recognition of the provisional government. May I bring to your attention certain facts? It is regretted that it will not be possible. Meantime, Japan had invaded an occupied Manchuria, had attacked China at the Marco Polo Bridge, and had driven the Chinese from the coast deep into the interior. The Korean provisional government moved a Chung king with the Chinese nationalist government. And when the appeased Japanese at last attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor, the Koreans immediately pledged the full cooperation of the Korean people against Japan. This is the time to recognize our provisional government. The main supply lines of the Japanese are through Korea. With Korea's 27 million people, it would be possible to organize a strong underground to harass these lines. The question of Korean independence cannot be considered at this time. It might be offensive to the Japanese. Offensive? After what the Japanese did to the United States at Pearl Harbor, the United States is at war with Japan. Today, the people of Korea are still without an official voice. The provisional government has not been recognized. And its request to be a signatory to the declaration of the United Nations has been denied. The history of the last 50 years proves that no lasting peace in the Far East is possible so long as Korea is used as a pawn by rival powers. The Koreans point to their strategic location. Look here at this map. Our neighbors are Russia, up here in the north. China, here on the west. And Japan, over here across the Straits of Tsuchim. The Japanese have proved the value of Korea to them. They have used it as a springboard for attack on the mainland of Asia. The Japanese in Korea would always be a threat to Russia and to China. Also, with the Russians in Korea, they would be dangerous to Japan and to China. And in the same way, the Chinese in Korea would be dangerous to Russia and Japan. Therefore, Korea should not be a pawn in international power politics, but should be independent. Korea should be a Korean nation. As for China, the Chinese have long been sympathetic to Korea's fight for independence. For more than a thousand years, the Yalu and the Tumen rivers have been the frontier between China and Korea. We have no interest in Korean territory. For years, the Korean provisional government has been in free China. We wish only friendly relations with Korea. And as for Russia? Korea should be an independent state. Free to enter into any treaty relations with the Soviet Union they decide upon. But of late, the provisional government has become concerned about another factor. It is possible that a small group of Korean communists outside of Korea may form a Soviet Republic of Korea. American observers have inquired into this possibility. How much chance is there of this? It is actually coming into formation, like the Lublin group in Poland. Then the Korean people could be split into two camps. Yes, the nationalists whom the provisional government represents and the communists. And it could lead to civil war in Korea. You said that the communist group is actually coming into formation. Where? We have information that the Korean national liberation government has been in existence for some time in Yanan, in communist China. If this group should come into the open before the provisional government is recognized, then all democracies will be placed at a disadvantage. Soviet Russia wishes Korea to be an independent state. But it would probably prefer a Soviet Republic in Korea rather than a democracy. It must be remembered that there are some 200,000 Koreans in Soviet Asia. These Koreans are now living under the Soviet system. This is the view of the Korean provisional government as to Russia. But it is not only as to Russia that the government has misgiving. Yes, the Cairo conference promised Korea freedom in due course. But what of the meantime? Korea is not ready to step in and govern herself the minute the Japanese have been driven out. Is this to mean that because the Korean government has not been recognized for 25 years, that we are to continue to have no official voice in our own affairs? Koreans will govern themselves after they have had the opportunity to elect their own government. If they were elected to represent the people until such time as a permanent government could be elected, plans not only such a general election, but also a constituent assembly to prepare a constitution for the permanent government. But meantime, after the Japanese have been driven out, there must be some sort of pro tem government. To give any power a mandate of a Korea, even a temporary one would create a whole new set of problems in the Far East. Which power would it be? Russia? Would that be acceptable to China and to the United States? And if it were the United States, would that be acceptable to Russia and China and possibly to some of the other Pacific powers? And how much better than a mandate under one power can be a trustee ship under several powers? We ask you. No. In the interest of the best settlement for all concerned, the answer is recognition of the provisional government now. But in the Korean view, there is still a more immediate reason for the recognition of the provisional government. For years, we have had a strong underground movement in Korea. But although our gorillas and saboteurs are operating against the Japanese, there is no liaison between our underground and the Halide High Command. And as General Eisenhower said in Europe, it is useless and suicidal for an underground force to become active except in close coordination with the plans of an army and but invasion. Let's point to the Japanese military installations in Korea. All Korea is covered with a network of powerful defense works. Our underground knows the location and the strength of everyone. They point to their resources, which the Japanese are using against the United States and Britain. There was an integrated plan with the Allied High Command. A plan for the training of Korean troops and gorillas and saboteurs. We could then prevent the Japanese from using so much of our resources against the Allies. Korea has many valuable resources. Ask this Korean mining engineer what they are mining here. Gold. Korea produces as much gold as California or Alaska or the Philippines. Japan knew about this gold long before they took Korea. We also mine about one-third of the world's supply of graphite. And we mine coal and iron and tungsten and copper. All these are strategic minerals for Japan's war effort. Mining is an important industry in Korea, and so is fishing. Our fisheries catch as much fish every year as the fisheries of the United States. That's a lot of fish. We are second or third in fisheries in the entire world. Korea produces not only enough food for itself, fish, rice, soybeans, grains, but enough to help feed the millions of Japanese men. Those ships are all carrying Korean supplies to Japan. Every kind of food we produce except fruit is exported to Japan. Also, of course, Japan takes our minerals and our chemicals. So you can see the products of Korea are helping the Japanese fight the war. We are just 120 miles from Japan, so the Japanese have little trouble keeping supplies. Against this, the Netherlands Indies, which also supply Japan, are nearly 3,000 miles away. And the thundering waters of Korea's rivers produce one of the most vital of all weapons of war. Electricity. Our hydroelectric plants are now generating about 3,500,000 kilowatts. This power is used in the making of Japanese munitions and in the operation of other Japanese war industries. Since Japan has been bombed so furiously from the air, the Japanese are moving more war factories here to Korea and to Manchuria. The resources of Korea are being exploited night and day, and Korea is no small country, larger than Austria, Denmark, Belgium, and Switzerland combined. The Japanese have long had control of these resources. Ask this American businessman. My company was in Korea before the Japanese, but the Japanese made operating so tough that finally we had to clear out. By the time of Pearl Harbor, not one American company was left in Korea. The Japanese sold up the Korean business completely. But not all Korean businesses are in the hands of the Japanese. Some is in the hands of Koreans, who might be said to be collaborating with the Japanese. These Koreans present a major problem in the future of Korea. Our information is that there are about 100,000 landlords in Korea, possibly half of them absentee landlord. This is the view of an expert observer. These landlords, most of them, have made deals with the Japanese. In return, the Japanese have permitted them to exploit the lower classes of the Koreans. Most of what is not owned and controlled by the Japanese is controlled by these landlords. Conditions in their enterprises are worse than in the Japanese enterprises. Under them, the lower classes have sunk lower and lower, while the landlords have built fortunes. Now the question is, what part will these landlords play in the new Korea? After the Japanese have been driven out, will these landlords, by far the most powerful group, seize control of the business of Korea? Certainly these landlords cannot be permitted to take over the Japanese industries in Korea. They're about the only Koreans who'll have the money. But the Korean people would be as bad off under them as they are now. Yes, possibly worse. They'd control all of the industry. And to give the Korean people a break, who can take over the Korean industries? Koreans can better solve the problems of Korea than anyone else. This is the view of the provisional government. There is no single answer to the problems that confront us. It may be necessary to nationalize Korean industry, to arrange with experience operators to run them. This may also be necessary in China, where much industry is under state control. We have had long experience with cooperatives. The Koreans see the separation of government and industry as a move toward democracy. With this arrangement, not too much power would be vested in the government, and this would be in the interest of developing a democracy. But is Korea ready for democratic government? No one questioned the ability of the Poles to govern themselves in 1919, and yet Poland had been under the rule of other nations for 125 years before that. But as much as anything else, the future of Korea must depend on its relations with other nations. At the close of the war, China will have one kind of government. Soviet Russia, another. Japan, still another. All three of these nations will be interested in Korea's future. Britain will also be interested in America. Korea's hope is not to try to pattern her government specifically on any one of these, but in a way which will enable her to realize her greatest good. Therefore, in the light of the interest of all these nations, Korea will become a test of international help and international good faith. In my opinion, Korea, like the Philippines, will need a long period of preparation for statehood. She'll need foreign advisors, foreign loans, foreign teachers, technicians and experts of all kinds. And she'll have to learn the mechanics of self-government. You overlook that Koreans have had village self-government for centuries. And the provisional government is officially supported by every Korean party. As changing conditions have required changes in the government, we have had successive reorganizations. And today, the provisional government is a coalition of the leading Korean parties. In addition to this, it is supported by the largest organization of Koreans in the United States. This is the position of the Korean provisional government. And to this, they add a sobering thought. The peace in Asia depends upon the solution of the Korean question. Korea can become a stronghold of justice and democracy in the Far East. Or can become a festering focal point of future strife. Today, after 26 years, the Korean provisional government is still not recognized by the United States. Most recent pronouncement on the question by the U.S. was made on June 8, 1945 by Acting Secretary of State Joseph C. Grew. This represents the official United States position as to the Korean provisional government. Here is the statement of Mr. Grew, read by Gain Whitman. In view of increased public interest in Korean affairs, I believe this is a proper occasion to review certain aspects of this government's policy with respect to Korea and the Koreans. There have been persistent rumors that an agreement concerning Korea was made at Yalta, committing this government to a policy contrary to the Cairo Declaration. These reports have already been denied by officers of the department and reply to inquiries received. Various Korean leaders in China as well as in the United States have recognized that these rumors are baseless. The Cairo Declaration of December 1, 1943 included the statement that the three signatory powers, China, the United States, and Great Britain, mindful of the enslavement of the people of Korea, are determined that in due course Korea shall become free and independent. There has been no change in this government's intention to fulfill its commitments under the Cairo Declaration. In as much as there has been considerable agitation on the part of various Koreans and their friends for recognition of the Korean provisional government of Cheung King, and for the seating of a Korean delegation at the San Francisco Conference, it seems pertinent to review certain basic considerations which have guided the Department of State in this connection. The United Nations which are represented at the United Nations Conference in International Organization all have legally constituted governing authorities, whereas the Korean provisional government and other Korean organizations do not possess at the present time the qualifications requisite for obtaining recognition by the United States as a governing authority. The Korean provisional government has never exercised administrative authority over any part of Korea, nor can it be regarded as representative of the Korean people of today. Due to geographical and other factors, its following even among exiled Koreans is inevitably limited. It is the policy of this government in dealing with groups such as the Korean provisional government to avoid taking action which might, when the victory of the United Nations is achieved, tend to compromise the right of the Korean people to choose the ultimate form and personnel of the government which they may wish to establish. It is principally for these basic reasons that the American government has not recognized the Korean provisional government. This policy is consistent with this government's attitude toward all people who are under or who have been liberated from Axis domination. The foregoing review of the department's position with respect to the Korean provisional government carries of course no implication whatsoever of any lack of sympathy for the people of Korea and for their aspirations for freedom. The offices of the department have spent a great deal of time in studying the problems relating to Korea and have talked at length with various individuals interested in the welfare of Korea and the Koreans and have endeavored to explain this government's responsibility in such matters and to give a clear indication of the lines along which this responsibility is being fulfilled. It is a matter of record that many Koreans are serving unselfishly and devotedly in the forces of the United Nations. As the war against Japan progresses, the Korean people may be placed in a position to play an increasingly important role in the defeat of Japan and in the liberation of their homeland. In view of the long and close friendship between the American and Korean peoples, it is with considerable satisfaction that this government looks forward to the time when Korea can take its place among the free and independent nations of the world. You have been listening to the Paradox of Korea, a documentary drama with an official statement of the United States Department of State. The Pacific story is presented by the National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated independent stations as a public service to clarify events in the Pacific and to make understandable the cross currents of life in the Pacific Basin. For a reprint of this program, send 10 cents in stamps or coin to University of California Press Berkeley, California. To repeat, for a reprint of this Pacific story program, send 10 cents in stamps or coin to University of California Press Berkeley, California. It was written and directed by Arnold Marquess. The original musical score was composed and conducted by Thomas Paluso, your narrator Lou Merrill. Programs in this series of particular interest to servicemen and women are broadcast overseas through the worldwide facilities of the Armed Forces Radio Service. This program came to you from Hollywood. This is the National Broadcasting Company.