주한군사고문단의 주간보고서

THE FOREIGN SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA DIVISION OF No. 235 NORTHEAST ASIAN AFFAIRS American Embassy, MAY - 6 1949 Seoul, Korea, April 26, 1949. DEPARTMENT OF STATE OFFICIAL USED COPY Per to [illegible] Files [illegible] com- pleted. Subject: Transmitting Weekly Report of Korean Military Advisory Group The Embassy has the honor to enclose for the Department's information a copy of the weekly report of the Korean Military Advisory Group, dated April 19, 1949, submitted to the Chief of Staff of the General Headquarters, Far East Command, Tokyo. Enclosure: 6/4/ Weekly Report, as stated Enclosure No. 1 to Despatch No. 235 dated April 26, 1949, from American Embassy, Seoul. HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES ARMY FORCES IN KOREA APO 235 TFOCG 322 19 April 1949 SUBJECT: Weekly Report of Korean Military Advisory Group TO: Chief of Staff General Headquarters, Far East Command APO 500 1. Attached hereto is the weekly KMAG report which will be sent direct to you unless you designate otherwise. The Ambassador likewise is furnished a copy. 2. The current period is the quietest period in the post-war history of South Korea. In Cheju-do the guerrillas are breaking up and arms in larger quantities are being captured or turned in. Natives are returning to the burned out towns to resume farming and to rebuild their homes. The Government is selling itself to the natives by the visits of the President, the Premier and several Ministers. Some of these stayed for several days and actually dug into the causes and possible remedies. Government also caused shipment of relief supplies, and prevented certain crooked cattle shipments from the island. A superior military leader (Colonel Yu) also had a marked effect on this recent change by his aggressive operations and decent treatment of natives. Prisoners, instead of being shot, are now held a while, fed, cleaned, given hair cut, and above all given a re-education and released. For a while, at lease, Cheju-do will be reasonably free of major disturbance. Army is considering withdrawal of some of its troops, as these alleged liberators do not have the cleanest hands. 3. In the Chiri-san area where a task force of no small strength under Brigadier General Chung (Deputy Chief of Staff, Korean Army) has been operating, the guerrillas are decidedly on the run and the inhabitants, who have sympathized predominately with the Communists in the recent past, are now swinging to the right. Large numbers are deserting the South Korean Labor Party, information to the Task Force is being given more freely, the leader of the guerrillas and the bulk of his staff have been killed or captured. 4. This task force is to be broken up in the very near future so that the battalions may continue training. Minor disturbances will be handled by the respective garrisons of brigade areas. 5. Along the parallel only occasional exchanges of shots by out-guards are noted. Occasional invasions by North Koreans for a few yards are reported. These, so far, are never serious and recently have been more infrequent. 6. The recent purge within the Army has apparently pulled the teeth of the subversives. About five hundred suspects are now being watched. 7. KMAG plans a complete training inspection by United States officers of each regiment to start on or about 1 May. Another inspection is projected for September 15-30. 8. The new Defense Minister is studying plans now for reorganisation of the Defense Department with a view to simplification, to coming more in line with American practices, to cleaning out the excessive bureaus and reducing drastically those retained, to giving more thought, power and supplies to the Coast Guard which has been an orphan and handled as an unwanted step-child, and to being more economical in expenditures. 9. Mr. Sihn, Defense Minister, who served eighteen years in the British Navy, is honest, direct, humble, needs no body guard, is not a stuffed shirt, is willing to delegate authority, does not like the Chinese trained Korean, is not afraid to get his hands dirty, hates the chiseling grafter, thinks directly and reasonably clearly and if he is not taken away from the Defense Department for a higher position will have an efficient Army. 10. A complete series of demonstrations will terminate 7 May. These consisted of five types of squad problems, (attack, defense, security, approach march, attack through towns), same for platoons. These were given to each regiment. Company in attack and Defense and Battalion in attack and Defense are scheduled for three performances each before 7 May to officers and non-commissioned officers of all regiments. W. L. Roberts Brigadier General, U. S. Army Commanding