PEACE FEELER FROM NORTH

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26399, 18 April 1951, Page 7

PEACE FEELER FROM NORTH

Message In Russian Sent To U.N. . NEW YORK, April 16. The United Nations to-day received a message from the North Korean authorities asking that peace be reestablished in Korea. The message, signed by Fak Phyong Yeng, Foreign Minister of the Korean Peoples Republic was very long and was written in Russian. It was addressed to the president of the Security Council. United Nations officials immediately set to work to translate and distribute it to members. United Nations officials said after translation of the message that it was no more than a virtual repetition of similar messages previously received from the North Korean authorities Ninety per cent, of the message listed details of alleged atrocities committed by United States forces in Korea. A United Nations bfficial said that it was on the lines of a recent broadcast by Yeng over the Pyongyang radio. In the broadcast, Yeng asked for a peaceful settlement of the Korean problem, but reiterated a protest against what was called United States intervention in Korea. The message received to-day is beneyed to be the text of the message which the North Korean radio said yesterday was sent to the United Nations containing a request for a peaceful settlement. Some Lake Success officials said that if that was the case, it was merely a reiteration of the frequentlyproffered offer by the Communists of peace on our terms.” There was no indication in that broadcast of willingness to make any concessions. Diplomatic sources in London said to-night they were sceptical about the reported peace offer. These sources had n°t received details of the text of the latest communication to the United Nations, but they were inclined to believe that it was likely to be a reiteration of earlier propaganda feelers.

In Washington, the State Department referred to earlier statements by President Truman that aggression would not be rewarded and there would be no appeasement of Korean or Chinese Communists. The officials were dubious that the latest proposal opened the way to negotiations for a Korean settlement.