KOREAN ROW CAUSED COLLINS' TRIP

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP74-00297R001100670106-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 14, 2013
• Sequence Number: 106
• Publication Date: January 31, 1953
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

T A T [z7 A 7r,rT"'T - r ? n ? w. _
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/05/14: CIA-RDP74-00297RO01100670106-3
The Washington liMerryrGo- oundl
Korean Row caused Collins ' Trip
,
By Drew Pem-sgn / -6t-last-spring was in errbr. Re-large helpings Johnson . ai)d
Real story behind Army Chief action to . the Government's,R.ayburn were 'about to open
of Staff J. Lawton Collins', rush prosecution of the oil compa up the ticklish question of tide-
trip to Korea is that it was to nies,v CIA stated, had not been lands oil.
straighten out bickering over'.badc They wanted to persuade the
Crean army.
C o n flicting
'reports h a v e
been sent to
the Pentagon
as to how big
a role t0-le
South Korean
army can play.
Van Fleet, out-?`:r:
going Eighth F;rs: yeas i
A r m y Com- Pearson
rnander, h a s
slgurllcanL points: I serves
under the Interior De-
l I. If the case against the oil; partment rather than transfer
companies is prosecuted, there' them to the Navy, which they
will' be some reaction in ..thefeared woulc; make it embarras-
Neai' East, but, nothing to worry!, sing for Eisenhower to transfer
about. them back.
2. If the prosecution were) However, Truman,. perhaps
. dropped, nn the other hand, the sensing that Rayburn and John-
son had a lobbyin
mov
i
g
e up
M6.-
on ould he it
worse. would play into Moscow's hands their sleeves, suddenly got` up,
make it appear the big oil com- announced that he would have
panics were dictating United to leave.
:States policy. Quickly and with no chance
JUL finesse, Rayburn asked point-
blank whether Truman intended
t 1
d
c11 t JiL11111SLIC aoOUL turning
the fighting over to the South
Koreans. However, his boss in
the Far East, Gen. Mark Clark,
has been pessimistic.'
To make matters worse, the
American training mission has
demanded seasoned South Ko-
and transfer the
1\Tew Hampshire's go a rea
perennial tidelands to the Navy.
Sen. Charles ' T obey ' (R.), who "I've already done it," replied
though 72 years old is one of the Truman. Then he gave a brief
most vigorous members of the dissertation on what these oil
Senate, nas got presidential ad- reserves meant to other parts
i visers a bit worried about small of the Nation, pointing out,, for
business and the Federal Trade instance, that North Dakota
Commission. . would be able to get six million
Tobcy, a stalwart champion of dollars for its schools if tide-
little business, is also the cham-- lands oil is kept for all of the
pion of Federal Trade Commis- 48 States.
sioner John Carson, a Truman Rayburn and J o h n s o n
hold-over. 1'groaned.
of good officers, that they can't Carson was reappointed to
the Trade Commission shortly apital ,News Capsules
be spared from the front. 11 r,...- ,_r. -, -11 s
just'one day after the President ~uu aiinosL immeaiateiy. ri.ow-
ever, it has developed that Car-
rean officers to help speed the
training of green, new troops.
This would take South Koreans
away from the front, and the
battle commanders warn that
the South Korean army is short
son is not only a protege of;
Tobey's but also has other
friends on the Senate Interstat
-
e
for Korea immediately and !! Commerce Committee.
come up with a detailed plan ' An independent Republican,,
on exactly how large the South -' Commissioner Carlson is the'
Korean army can be built and former - secretary of the late
how long it will take. Sen. Jim couzens (R-Mich.).
Oil Predicament . ~' 'Tidelandls Dinner
'lne national Security Council
is so red-faced it won't breathe
a word about it, but Central In-
telligence has submitted a re-
port indicating that-the prosecu-
tion of the five U. S. oil corn-
panics in the Near East should
not he dropped. Its report is
exactly the Opposite of the plea
made by ex-Secretary of De-
fense Lovett for dropping pros-
ecution.
LOO 76'fthad- stirred up presi-
dent Truman and other Cabinet
11members by arguing that the
bower ordered him to take off
I .vould play into Russia's hands
gvoUld cause American r nrnn]
n]
nc r
3.t . ~ g c e-
.ort of last'spring.
.tR tl 1
oncessions. He bars l_,tiijs part-
-v on a Ccnti` -t"'In'elli e
, ecen y, )owever, Central In-
telligence submitted a new re-
port. It stated that its survey l
It was hushed up at the time.
but Texas' ex-Speaker Sam Ray
burn 'and Senate Democratic
;Leader Lyndon -Johnson, also of
!Texas, staged a private dinner
for President Truman just be-1
fore' he left office in an effort]
to persuade him to keep hands'
l off the tidelands oil. ]
The dinner. was, held 'in Sam
Rayburn's private apartment at
the Anchorage and featured
chili con carne-Texas style..
Truman is fond of chili anda
after, he, had enjoyed., several)
vering' off ' the China 'coast
across from Korea. The Navy
fears they may dart out from
the protective 10-mile limit anc
make hit-and-run at icks or
American shipping. In fact:
they opened fire with anti-air
craft guns on a Navy patro
China coast for a better' look.
The Army will soon unvei
weapon so far developed to pro
tect American cities against A
bomb attack.
Turkey has formally offered
to increase her forces in Korea
to a full division, if President
Eisenhower will only give the.
word. The Turkish Foreign
Office has assured the United
States Embassy that a , new;,
tough division could he ready,
by spring, for any new offensive,
Eisenhower may decide upon.
Inside fact is that the Turks
have been eager. to send more
troops to Korea for two years
but the Joint Chiefs of, Staff
have discouraged this for fear
the Russians might strike'
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/05/14: CIA-RDP74-00297RO01100670106-3