SECRET Senul Karea OFFICIAL-INFORMAL N va ber 29 1974 The Honorable Philip C Habib A sistant Sacretary EA Department 9f State Washingtan D C 29520 Baar Phil _ Last Sunday a5 a taken 35 hia appreciation President Park invited myself General Stilwell aad Gregg for golf and ainner I have already reported the major fruita cf this gating in Embassy telegram 7877 There were 39mg a ditianal notes af interaat uring the ahitchat befbre inner and during the dinngr Don Stags and I hava assembled ear callective thcughtg and put to gather the attached Mmaarandum 9f Canversation I think the mama 13 warth selactive istrihution an the 7th Elgar INK as well as EA I leaV that in yuan and Han G'Boachue s hands It was great ta 3 3 yuu albeit briefly in Seaul I think the visit went aff well on virtually all accounts includiug the ccunael 6f galitical madaratian to Park But cf caurse the final acaount is mat in by any means Laaking farward to seeing yum in Honalulu all best wi hes Sincer ly Riehard Snaidar Ambasgad r SECRET G138 Authority IN MD I $755 Hi vb 4 2 INBian57- COLLECT 3 0 TESS RE RE avzy F an CHUNG REE 3 33 VISET T0 KQREA - 7 Pg 155 m2 1 519nm CHARGE 140 I Mm gamma 3EQSTATE WASWC 3mm 5mm '75 7 7 - 1 swam 13m mum m POL Ems SEVERAL 0mm 513mm mm GOLF GAME 5 6 gamma As mm or mum HIS mm arms T01 PRESIDW PARK ms mis t 511 RE mm TO PASS T0 ma 1115- mesam SENSE OF ma v15 11 ms on POLICY rmm Km AND HIS OF THE my Imam mm AT mm DIFFICULT 2 PRESIDW PARK SAID HE ms 1mm SEE PARTEWY 33 THE mm mm MIME OF HIS DISMYED BY TEE AND WIRE PARTY WHECH BE WEIR THE NATURE r r 33 I 951313 TEL EXT AMB RLSneider a 11 25 74 AMB RLSneiderf Emu gm 'sga a wmm CLASSIFIED 9 a EHE ALSG BY TEE Em vsl m AHB ay'xgn CAME GUT TO 633% 2a waisa RE A3 A MARK -QF7KQREAN Ea 3 a alma SIHEER RAHGEE GVER WARH $1933 0F EVEETS Bugl $33 VESIT CORTEMUEE BEEP camagg s EGREH KOREAN iE OF ASSESSING TEE BEEP SHEER 0F mia xom Te HIS GGAL 9F HQBERNIEENG KBREA 1H TEE 3 T0 4 353136 a TEE AEEIGUITY a 1 SBGGESTED A BRQABER IETELLISENSE EXCHANGE 0m TEE PQLETECAL AER MILITARY TEE EGREE AS AS THE Ti 1N SQUNTREES AFFEQTING EUREH KQREAH AEE a To'wna WE HAVE QNLY HAD REGELAR GR TEE EELITAEY AGREEB 1H $0 Tais SUGQESTEGH a 0m THIS magmag w 59 SECRET 33381313 @Em f ca m IE wax- 2 -- v DECLAS 2 Authority su ED SECRET Magnum 0F CONVERSATION SUBJECT Japan Earth Korea PARTICIPANTS H18 Excellenty Park Chung ee - President of the Republic 9f Karea Ambassadcr Richard Lt Sneidet DATE Sunday Navember 24 1974 PLACE Hanyang Golf Course On Sunday November 24 Pretident Park erganized a gulf game and dinnar with myself as the principal guest - Other players were an the Amarican side General Richar Stirwell and Mr Danald Gregg and an the Karean ide Defense Minister Sub CIA Directar Shin Secretary General cf the Blue Route Kim Chang Yam Army Chief of Staff General RD and the Head 0f the Frasidential Pratective Farce Cha Ghi Chcl During the caurse cf the Sunday and dinner Preaident Park and I talke privately together off and an Park was in a relaxed talkative mnad and very enthusiastic about President Fard t visit While much 6f the talk was banter same points are watth recarding 1 Jagan - President Park asked me for my appraisal of the Tanaka succession fight He wag-quite interested as I re- viewed the various possibilities and int and eats cf fat tianal differences in the Liberal Damtcratic atty Which scald affect the electian outcome Park said that as fat as ha was concerned either Fukuda or Ohira would be watt sat 1sfactory He tharactetized bath as honest sincere and trustworthy man Bath had shown a strung an sympathetic persanal interest in Katea and he-had confidence in eithet at them On the othet hand he characterized'beth Hakasone a and Niki as apportunists SECRET T Authority 5T SECRET 2 In any event President Park said that the replacement of Tanaka would pleaae him He mentioned one ahecdete frmm hla talk with Tameka when Tameka called during the funeral arrangements for his wife Tameka reaident Park said eat dawn and began talking and talked centinueuely without giving Park an as the heat tc say anything At the end cf cur ccnveraaticn Park professed a slight preference fct'Fukuda although Ghira wculd be campletely satisfactory 2 Kcrea At the dinner table President Park referred ta the recently disccvered tunnel in the ENE and cited this as further evidence cf Nerth Korean eatremiama President Park want an ta describe a repcrt he had received from the Ace traliana scurced to Polish and Czech members cf the NNSC Wha had recently visited According to these NNSC cfficera rummra were circulating in that the on Kim Il Suag's neck had turned malignant and that as a tea suit Kim s days were numbered Park expressed ccncern that Kim in a desperate attempt tc reunite Korea prier t0 his death might undertake extreme actions toward the Sauth Park also cited reperte to the affect that Kim is waving quickly teeaad transferring hie power to his son and expressed acme doubts abaut K m a ability cc make such a transfer without causing instability in the Earth In answer to President Park'a question abcut 11 Sung'a health it was painted cut to him that the on Kim s neck has been noticeable for a number of years and that previece medical analysis has indicated it ta be a large but benign tamer President Park was told however that an attempt would be made to get an up- dated medical evaluaticn cf Kim s health as soon as possible Dinner reminiscences revealed that bath President Park and I had submitted warnings of the North Korean invasion of South Kcrea to our superiors in 1950 Both reports had been igncred President Park cited his continued concern over intelligence indicators and this led ta 3 general agreement that periodic meetings involving KCIA the staff and SEE wculd be held to improved intelligence exchange going well beyond military capabilities The visit af KCIA North Korea Bureau Chief Rang In to and London was cited as a goed preliminary step taward intelligence exchange SECRET Authority MD 3 3 Park s Ram in Higtary Lamr in the dinner I resident Park was asked-ta comment on his own View 6f his role in Korean history Ah'part of the qnastian Park was asked if ha saw any parallal betwaen his awn life and that of Kamal Paaha of Turkhy Park that he did hat knaw about Kemal Faaha in detail but had heard hat ha had mndernized Turkey and made it an independent natien in bath acahamic and palitical terms Park said he hoped ta da the same for Karaa but hastened ta add that he did not intend t9 hold an be palitical powar indefinitely He said that over the years many peepla had suggested that he resign frem pawer and that during the 100 days sinne his wife's mnrdar'he had reflacted sadly upon the fact that had ha accepted such advice his wife might still be alive Park went on to express his amr hition ta complete the mndernizatihn of Karea as rapidly as possible He haliavas that the next 3 ta 4 years_are critiw a1 and that his talk during this period wauld ha essential _After that he felt that he vauld have made his cantrihution to Korean history Fallowing the dinner KCIA Director Shin in an aside to one 9f the Americans stated that he had been axtremely interested in tha question and 1a Park's reply It was pointed ant to Shin that tha questian was an inter esting one and that probably hnly a fareigner could'have asked it Shin agreed with this paint 4 Personal Notes Presidant Park abviausly enjoyed the informal chats stepping ta talk during the golf play and stopping for longar talks after the 5th and 9th holes During tha drinks befare dinnhr he mantihnad his pleasure at baing able ta hava a dri k tagather with cthet people He aaid that he frankly enjayed drinking and that his doctor had advised him ts take a few drinks before dinner to relax his stomaeh Ha did not anjoy drinking alone howaver When his wife was still alive she wauld give him a couple of Scotahea and talk with him hefare dinner Howavhr fth she was killed he has really not anjeyed drinking before dinner aven though his daughtera try 9 get him to have a drink President Park said that he had alsa been trying to cut dawn on his smcking but faund that was very difficult He camw mented with a smile that if he didn t dri k and didn't snake SECRET i i Authority IN x V thare would be nathing left to do but watch telaviaion President Park clearly laft the impression of a man lanely anxiaus for companicnship but two alaaf ta arrange for it except on oceasiona such as the golf match and dinner Per hapa indicative of big prablem was that during the gelf gama and dinner all 9f the conversatian was between the two 9f us nd that the Koreans present innluding Defense Minister Sub wer largely limited t0 a few almost obaequious remarks a AME RLSneider SAA DPGregg ab SECRET                     National Security Archive    Suite 701  Gelman Library  The George Washington University    2130 H Street  NW  Washington  D C  20037    Phone  202 994‐7000  Fax  202 994‐7005  nsarchiv@gwu edu