Personal letter to the wife of James Van Fleet.

Syngman Rhee sends a short message to General James A. Van Fleet hoping for a quick recovery from his operation.

Syngman Rhee asked General James A. Van Fleet about establishing him as an official military adviser.

General Van Fleet first addresses the two sides of the Asian question. Should the US 1) try to “win back Asia” or 2) face the "reality" of the present conditions and should not recommence fighting in Korea? He advises Rhee to concentrate on expanding the ROK army and to leave reunification matters to the US and the United Nations.

President Rhee once again suggests that the US government should increase the ROK defense forces. It will not only be cheaper to fund Korean (over American) divisions, it also means that Americans do not need to fight in Korea. Rhee then negotiates that if the US government implements the necessary military buildup aid, he too will not take any “unilateral action” for or against the future Geneva Conference until after it has been in session. Finally, Rhee advocates his disapproval of US interest to build up Japan.

The United States has appropriated the ROK a billion dollars’ worth of weapons and supplies. Rhee gives General Van Fleet full control of these funds and encourages him to help transform the ROK into a self-supporting nation. Instead of buying Japanese goods, Korea should set-up her own arms and ammunition producing machines.

After the Korean War, General Van Fleet informs President Rhee that U.S. will bear the cost of rebuilding Korean military forces in order to facilitate the withdrawal of American troops from the Korean Peninsula in the future.

President Rhee discusses different tactics with General Van Fleet on how to convince President Eisenhower and the American public to build the ROK's armed forces.