By: Rhiannon Roberts
The Korean War officially ended on July 27, 1953 with an armistice agreement signed by Lt. Gen. William Harrison Jr., Representative of the United Nations; and Gen. Nam II, Representative for the People’s Republic of China and North Korea. While the world had waited with bated breath for some reprieve from the deadliest conflict since World War II, many world leaders had attempted to establish a mutually beneficial way of ending the war for several years prior to the final armistice. To many this intense desire for reconciliation originated from the failure of each side making any lasting advances into the territory of the opposition. From 1951-1952 these attempts toward resolution centered on the establishment of a contract outlining specific points that each side would agree to abide by. While in the end the acceptance of these drafts had proved unsuccessful, they had, however; paved the way for the armistice that has created an essence of peace on the Korean Peninsula for the last 60 years.
Please see attachment for the “Current Draft of the Armistice Agreement Revised 10 April 1952”. Special attention should be made to the section on page 26, in which the intended signature parties were Kim Il Sung, Peng Teh Huai and Gen. Matthew Ridgeway.
While several issues pertaining to territorial rights, as well as the legality of civil liberties for the affected population prevented a quick resolution, other topics that were equally important such as the presence of the United States military in Japan; created an equal cause for concern. (Article 16)
The importance of these resolutions is that even with the citizens of Korea living today in a constant state of ready preparedness for continuing the war; the fundamental guidelines initiated by the founders of the armistice agreement have been long-lasting. Therefore, they have prevented up to date, a new surge in hostile forces within the volatile region. Let us hope that the success continues for 60 more years.
This information was taken from the following and has been declassified for public viewing on March 28, 2013:
Record Group 342
Boxes 1-6 (FRC)
Entry 342-53-7010
NND 001872/64444
Thank your for your interesting post. I saw only three pages in the link “Armistice Draft 1952.” Are pages missing?
No; there are actually 27 pages in all. Unfortunately I was unable to scan all the pages due to space. However, the entire 6 boxes are now declassified so you can request to view them from the Research services section of the National Archives.
Thank you for your reply to my comment.
Your very welcome!