Extract from a confidential report from John J. Hearne to Seán Nunan (Dublin)
'Conversation with Dr. You Chan Yang'¹
(2/5/10) (Confidential)

[matter omitted]

I asked the Ambassador whether he could tell me anything about the truce talks. He said that the truce talks would drag on and on interminably, and would end in failure. I refer in this connection to my Report No. 2/5/7 of the 2nd July entitled ‘Cease-fire in Korea’.² In that Report I recorded Dr. Yang as saying that the cease-fire order was not to be taken too seriously and that condition after condition would be imposed which could not be accepted. I also reported him as saying that the cease-fire would have no other objectives but those of enabling the Red Chinese to reform the lines and giving time to the Russians to prepare further aggression. Dr. Yang spoke in a similar sense in our conversation of yesterday. He added that everything that they had anticipated in that connection was taking place.

He went on to say that he kept on emphasising to the Department of State that Korea would never give up the fighting until the main object of the majority of Koreans, namely a united Korea, was achieved. ‘Korea’, he said, ‘is the Ireland of the Orient. As you have not given up the struggle for a united Ireland, neither shall we’.

[matter omitted]