전문 (402) : 제주도 사태 호전

INCOMING AIRGRAM DEPARTMENT OF STATE DIVISION OF COMMUNICATIONS AND RECORDS TELEGRAPH BRANCH DIVISION OF [illegible] NORTHEAST ASIAN AFFAIRS from: [illegible] [illegible], [illegible] - [illegible] [illegible] date of [illegible]: April 23, 1949 DEPARTMENT [illegible] ATE [illegible] rec'd: [illegible] 1:20 a.m. [illegible] secretary [illegible] [illegible] FAR EASTERN AFFAIRS M Y 3 1949 [illegible] [illegible] Department of State [illegible], April 22, [illegible] Reference is made to the insion's despatcn nos. 107, March 23, 1949, all, April 12, 1949, and section [illegible] of despatch [illegible] 222, April 10, 1949, on the subject of developments on Cheju Island. At has been reported, President Rhi[illegible] made a flying trip to Cheju Island on April 9. It is understood from foreign mission circles that who were on the island at the time that the President's trip made a more impression on the Cheju natives and had a salutary effect. Moreover, the new minister of defense, Captain [illegible] [illegible], revisited Cheju during the first week in April on instructions from the president. The [illegible] defense for several days supervised the conduct of military [illegible] on the island. At the same time, no look at active [illegible] the administration of relief to the many thousands [illegible] refugees. Whether he [illegible] of [illegible] visitor to the Island was the Minister of Social Affairs, r. L [illegible] Yu[illegible] [illegible]. Recent reports available to thisission from Korean and American sources suggest that pacification of the island has now been largely completed. The great majority of the Communist rebels, who over a period of several months perpetrated tremendous destruction and misery, have now been either killed or captured. Only a few remnant raiders appear now to be operating in the remote recesses of the dominant mountain massif. Father George Carroll, an American Catholic priest who has been distributing relief supplies on the island and who notes [illegible] from there on April 20th, has informed this issivn that a new spirit now appears to permeate the inhabitants of Cheju. According to Father Carroll, the spirit of defeatism so prevalent on the island up to the beginning of [illegible] of this year has now been succeeded by a general feeling of optimism. Father Carroll has reported, for example, that the farmers are returning to the fields and that much reconstruction is now in evidence. Father Carroll has also reported that the movement of former communist sympathizers from the mountains countries matbated. It appears that this movement stems not only from the complete rout of the rebels but from the [illegible] treat [illegible] meted out to the former communist sympathizers.