MEMORANDA RELEASED

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26394, 12 April 1951, Page 7

MEMORANDA RELEASED

Directives Sent To General (Rec. 11 p.m) WASHINGTON, April 10. The White House Press Secretary (Mr Joseph Short) handed to correspondents at Mr Truman’s press conference • series of previously secret directives dealing with foreign policy. Qpe was from the Joint Chiefs of staff to General MacArthur and other commanders dated December 6, 1950 and embraced toe Presidential order that “no speech, press release, or other public statement concerning foreign policy should be released until it has received a clearance from the Department of State." * ' ~ Another memorandum from the Joint Chiefs of Staff to General MacArthur op March 3, 1951 said that the State Department was planning an announcement shortly that “with the clearing of the bulk of South Korea of aggressors, the United Nations are now prepared to discuss conditions of settlement in Korea.” It added: "A strong United Nations feeling persists that further diplomatic efforts towards settlement should be made before any advance with major forces north of the 38th parallel. Time will be required to determine diplomatic reactions and permit new negotiations that may develop." Mr Short directed the attention of correspondents to a statement by General MacArthur published in the “New York Times” of March 24 offering to confer in the field with the commander of the enemy forces “in an earnest effort tn find any military means whereby the realisation of the political objectives" of the United Nations in Korea might be accomplished without further bloodshed. The Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a message on March 24 marked “Personal for General MacArthur" informed the general that Mr Truman had directed that General MacArthur’s attention be called again to toe order of December 6, 1950, of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and added: "In view of toe information given you on March 20, any further statements by you must be coordinated as prescribed in the order of December 6. The President has also directed that in the event of a Communist military leader’s request for an armistice in the field, you immediately report that fact to the Joint Chiefs of Staff for instructions," Mr Short said he did not know when Mr Truman decided to relieve General MacArthur, Correspondents regularly assigned to the White House had sought for days to obtain some kind of comment from the president through hjs press secretary about General MacArthur, and particularly regarding the letter General MacArthur wrote on March 20 to Mr Joseph Martin, a member of the House of Representatives.