Letter from Hugh McCann to Seán Nunan (Dublin)
'Visit of President Syngman Rhee of Korea'

I have the honour to transmit herewith for your information the text of President Syngman Rhee’s address to Congress on the 28th instant in which he advocated a full-scale war against Red China involving United States air and naval forces but no ground forces. He advocates this action as a preventive war to halt Soviet ambitions for world domination while this course is still possible.

While President Rhee received a very warm welcome from Congress on his arrival, his advocacy of American participation in a war of liberation in Asia was received in silence. Such editorial comment as we have seen to date in the press, without exception refuses to endorse this line of policy recommended by President Rhee.

Interesting sidelights on President Rhee’s address to Congress were:-

1. House Speaker Martin² muffed his introduction by introducing President Rhee first as the President of ‘India’ and secondly as the ‘President of Indiana’ before correcting himself.
2. Whoever was responsible for the arrangements at the rostrum failed to take account of President Rhee’s height and he was unable to reach the microphones to commence his address. Someone rushed out and brought in a Coca Cola crate for him to stand on.

When I met President Rhee yesterday at the reception given in his honour by the Korean Ambassador,³ he held up the receiving line for a few moments and spoke to me in the warmest terms about Ireland. He referred to his country as the ‘Ireland of the Orient’.