Harry S. Truman Papers Staff Member and Office Files Korean War File Date Span: 1947-1953 Bulk Date Span: 1950-1952 The Korean War File consists of Departments of State and Defense documents relating to the Korean War that were copied and sent to the White House at the request of President Truman. It includes reports, correspondence, memoranda and other documents. [Administrative Information | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List]   ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Size: 5.6 linear feet (ca. 11,200 pages) Access: Open Copyright: Mr. Truman donated his copyright interest in any of his writings in this collection to the people of the United States. In addition, documents prepared by United States Government employees in the course of their official duties are in the public domain. Copyright interest in documents outside of this category are presumed to remain with the writers of the documents. Processed by: Erwin J. Mueller (1975) Reprocessed by: Cynthia G. Edwards and David Clark (2001) [ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ] COLLECTION DESCRIPTION The Korean War File, also known as "Selected Records of the Department of State and the Department of Defense relating to the Korean War," is part of the Staff Member and Office Files of the Harry S. Truman Papers. It consists of State and Defense Department documents relating to the Korean War that were copied and sent to the White House at the request of President Truman. The Korean War File consists of two series. The first, the Department of State Series, comprises most of the collection and is further divided into four subseries. The Background File Subseries contains a list of the State Department documents in the collection; various background reports on Korean history and U.S. policy toward Korea, including Lieutenant General Albert C. Wedemeyer's report to the President on his 1947 mission to China and Korea; and letters, memoranda, and telegrams concerning the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Korea before 1950. The Chronology File Subseries contains monthly reports summarizing the major military, diplomatic, and political events of the Korean conflict from June 1950 to May 1952, prepared by the State Department's Division of Historical Policy Research. The Document File Subseries contains fifty-two reports to the United Nations Security Council on U.N. Command Operations in Korea from July 1950 to November 1952; memoranda summarizing periodic briefings on the situation in Korea that were conducted by the State Department for the ambassadors of allied countries from January 1951 to November 1952; copies of the Korea Bulletin, a daily State Department intelligence report produced from July 1950 to September 1950; State Department publications on the U.S. role in the Korean conflict; and daily reports summarizing the world reaction to events in Korea from June 1950 through August 1950. The Topical File Subseries, which comprises more than half of the collection, contains telegrams, letters, memoranda, press releases, and reports pertaining to a number of Korea-related topics, including: efforts by India to mediate the conflict; the neutralization of Formosa; military incidents involving the Soviet Union; the Wake Island conference; Chinese intervention in the war; the possible use of atomic weapons; the dismissal of General MacArthur; Communist charges of bacteriological and chemical warfare; and the armistice negotiations. The Department of Defense Series includes an orientation report on the military situation in the Far East, prepared for the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in June 1950, shortly before the outbreak of the Korean War. The rest of the series consists of the contents of eight volumes entitled Pertinent Papers on Korean Situation, containing copies of Defense Department correspondence and other documents relating to the war. Other materials at the Truman Library which relate to this collection include the following personal papers collections: Naval Aide to the President Files, 1945-1953 President's Secretary's Files, 1945-1953 L. Laszlo Ecker-Racz Papers, 1949-1953 George M. Elsey Papers, 1941-1953 George M. Elsey Files, 1945-1949 Edgar A. J. Johnson Papers, 1946-1965 Merle Miller Papers, 1948-1974 John B. Moullette Papers, 1944-1993 Frank Pace, Jr., Papers, 1946-1953 James T. Quirk Papers, 1936-1976 In addition, the following transcripts of oral history interviews relate to this collection: Nathan M. Becker, Oral History Interview No. 159 Laurence E. Bunker, Oral History Interview No. 253 John H. Chiles, Oral History Interview No. 290 Matthew J. Connelly, Oral History Interview No. 70 George M. Elsey, Oral History Interviews Nos. 128 & 398 Thomas K. Finletter, Oral History Interview No. 108 John D. Hickerson, Oral History Interview No. 184 U. Alexis Johnson, Oral History Interview No. 252 Robert B. Landry, Oral History Interviews Nos. 479 & 482 Felix E. Larkin, Oral History Interview No. 392 E. Allan Lightner, Jr., Oral History Interview No. 340 Wilfred J. McNeil, Oral History Interview No. 294 John H. Muccio, Oral History Interviews Nos. 84 & 177 Charles S. Murphy, Oral History Interview No. 65 Robert G. Nixon, Oral History Interview No. 265 Frank Pace Jr., Oral History Interview No. 130 John W. Snyder, Oral History Interviews Nos. 266, 352 & 404 [ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ] SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

	DEPARTMENT OF STATE: Background File Subseries
Box 1	Checklist of Documents [in Department of State Subseries]
	United States policy regarding Korea, 1834 – June, 1950 (narrative)
	Published background material
	The Wedemeyer Report on Korea, 1947
	Documents on the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Korea
	DEPARTMENT OF STATE: Chronology File Subseries
	June – November, 1950
	December, 1950 – February, 1951
Box 2	March – May, 1951
	June – September, 1951
	October, 1951 – January, 1952
	February – May, 1952
	DEPARTMENT OF STATE: Document File Subseries
	Unified Command Reports to the United Nations [1 of 2: July, 1950 – December, 1951] [2 of 2: January, 1952 – November, 1952]
Box 3	Memoranda on Briefing of Ambassadors, January 12 – April 10, 1951
	Memoranda on Briefing of Ambassadors, April 11 – July 12, 1951
	Memoranda on Briefing of Ambassadors, July 16 – September 18, 1951
	Memoranda on Briefing of Ambassadors, September 21, 1951 – March 11, 1952
	Memoranda on Briefing of Ambassadors, March 14 – November 25, 1952
	Korea Bulletin, July 1 – 28, 1950
	Korea Bulletin, July 31 – September 5, 1950
	Department of State – United States Policy in the: Korean Crisis [1950] Korean Conflict [1951]
Box 4	World Reaction to Korean Developments [1 of 3: June 28 – July 9, 1950] [2 of 3: July 10 – 28, 1950] [3 of 3: July 29 – August 31, 1950]
	DEPARTMENT OF STATE: Topical File Subseries
	List of Topical Folders
	1. North Korean aggression: Immediate evaluations and reaction [1 of 3] [2 of 3] [3 of 3]
	2. American and British approaches to the Soviet Union, July, 1950
	3. Anglo-American policy discussions
Box 5	4. Indian efforts to mediate and prevent the spread of hostilities [1 of 2: July, 1950] [2 of 2: August – November, 1950]
	5. Role of the UN in the Korean Conflict [1 of 2: July – August, 1950] [2 of 2: September – December, 1950]
	6. Contributions to the UN effort [1 of 3: June – July, 1950] [2 of 3: August, 1950 – December, 1951] [3 of 3: February – September, 1952]
Box 6	7. Policy re UN crossing of the 38th parallel: Summer, 1950
	8. Control of exports to Korea and Communist China
	9. Neutralization of Formosa [1 of 2: July – August, 1950] [2 of 2: September – December, 1950]
	10. Blockade of the Korean Coast
	11. Legal basis of U.S. and UN action
	12. Arming and utilization of South Korean manpower
	13. Political situation in Korea
	14. Tripartite political discussions in Paris: August, 1950
	15. Issue of bombing North Korean cities
Box 7	16. Relief and rehabilitation in Korea [1 of 2: July – November, 1950] [2 of 2: December, 1950 – September, 1952]
	17. Tripartite meeting of foreign ministers, September, 1950
	18. Information and estimates re Chinese Communist and Soviet intentions in Korea
	19. Military incidents involving the Soviet Union
	20. Efforts to prevent enlargement of hostilities
	21. Wake Island conference
	22. Civil affairs in Korea
	23. The question of hot pursuit, November, 1950
	24. Massive Chinese Communist intervention and allied reactions
	25. Allied criticisms of the UN commander
Box 8	26. United States effort to obtain UN action concerning Chinese intervention
	27. Proposed quadripartite meeting of foreign ministers
	28. Reactions to President’s statement re possible use of the atom bomb
	29. Truman – Attlee discussions, December, 1950
	30. Relations with ROK and the political situation in Korea
Box 9	31. Negotiations for an armistice, December, 1950 – June, 1951 [1 of 3: December, 1950] [2 of 3: January – March, 1951] [3 of 3: April – June, 1951]
	32. Adoption by UN of economic sanctions [1 of 2: February – April, 1951] [2 of 2: May – September, 1951]
	33. Truman – Plevin conversations, January, 1951
	34. The question of the reports to the UN by the UN Commander
	35. Restudy of the question of the 38th parallel
	36. The proposed Presidential statement and Gen. MacArthur’s statement of March 24, 1951
	37. The dismissal of General MacArthur
	38. Senate hearings following General MacArthur’s dismissal
Box 10	39. Allied views re reconnaissance and possible retaliatory bombing outside Korea
	40. Communist charges of bacteriological and chemical warfare
	41. Embargo action outside the UN
	42. Armistice negotiations in Korea [1 of 2: July, 1951 – June, 1952] [2 of 2: July – October, 1952]
	43. Planning and negotiations re policy after the armistice talks
	44. "Greater Sanctions"
Box 11	45. The Korean question in the Sixth Session of the UN General Assembly
	46. Continued economic action [1 of 2: January, 1951 – January, 1952] [2 of 2: February – December, 1952]
	47. The Political crisis in Korea [1 of 2: February – June 14, 1952] [2 of 2: June 16 – October, 1952]
	48. Other developments in U.S. relations with the Republic of Korea
	49. Bombing of North Korean power plants, 1952
	50. Establishment of sea defense zone around Korea
Box 12	51. Consideration of the armistice question in the UN, 1952 [1 of 2: May 24, 1951 – October 30, 1952] [2 of 2: November – December, 1952]
	52. Miscellaneous
	DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Box 13	Miscellaneous [CICFE-SCAP General Orientation for Sec’y of Defense and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff: June 18, 1950]
	Pertinent Papers on Korean Situation: Appendix and Index [in Department of Defense Series]
	Pertinent Papers on Korean Situation: Volume I [1945-49: pp. 1 – 198]
	Pertinent Papers on Korean Situation: Volume II [1950-51: pp. 199 – 400]
Box 14	Pertinent Papers on Korean Situation: Volume III [1951: pp. 401 – 600]
	Pertinent Papers on Korean Situation: Volume IV [1951-52: pp. 601 – 802]
	Pertinent Papers on Korean Situation: Volume V [1952: pp. 803 – 1000]
	Pertinent Papers on Korean Situation: Volume VI [1952: pp. 1001 – 1196]
	Pertinent Papers on Korean Situation: Volume VII [1952-53: pp. 1197 – 1309]
	Pertinent Papers on Korean Situation: Volume VIII [pp. 1310 – 1314: Aug. 14, 1951 Memo regarding possible use of atomic weapons in Korea]

 

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