Letter No. 11 from the President (Syngman Rhee) to Minister Duk Shin Choi

August 16, 1956

#11

TO: Minister Duk Shin Choi

FROM: The President

I am in receipt of your report No.013 dated August 9, newspaper clippings and other enclosures and wish to thank you for them. I read with great interest the report on the refugee settlement. From the pictures I gather the project is tremendous and am very happy to know that something is done for the refugees.

There is no doubt the American government is pressing through its representative to make the Asiatic nations cooperate with Japan. As long as Dulles' policy to build up Japan as the leading power in Asia is not stopped the aid-receiving nations will more or less be forced to follow his policy. It is the American businessmen in Tokyo who are gaining by this policy and therefore it is very difficult for Asiatic peoples to stop it. The Japs are cunning enough to use the American traders in putting their goods on the market. As soon as they have recaptured the market they will put out the American traders -- a fact which the traders will not taken into consideration.

I have read in the papers about the situation in Laos and am deeply concerned because your report confirms it. You know that a coalition government will end up with a pre-communist government. It would certainly need invigorated effort on the part of Vietnam to stop that influence.

I want to personally thank you for your kind message sent to me on the occasion of the inauguration. I wish you could have witnessed the ceremony which was very impressive.