Korean War

President Rhee had placed the ROK military forces under the UN himself. However, cooperation by the ROK was needed for the armistice to succeed. There was much skepticism that Rhee would actually abide by the terms of the armistice even after it was signed. On the other hand, the Republic of Korea depended on the United States for economic, financial, and military aid. This was a critical point for the Republic of Korea. One wrong decision could lead to the downfall of the country.
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             The United States had stood by the Republic of Korea in its struggle "against Communist aggression, which the United States believed trampled upon human dignity and which replaced national sovereignty with a humiliating satellite status." The United States had "demonstrated not only their dedication to the cause of human freedom and political liberty, but also their dedication to an equally important principle which is that there cannot be independence without interdependence." After suffering many thousands of casualties in support of this principle the enemy finally proposed an armistice and was willing to abandon the "fruits of aggression." The armistice would have given the Republic of Korea undisputed possession of the land it initially administered prior to the outbreak of war. In addition, the armistice would have assured that North Korean and Chinese prisoners of war received political asylum if they chose not to go back to their respectful countries. In a letter to Syngman Rhee, President Eisenhower expressed his profound conviction, under these circumstances, that the Republic of Korea accept the armistice. He claimed that the United States "would not be justified in prolonging the war with all the misery it involved in the hope of achieving by force, the unification of Korea." Even after the armistice, the United States would still continue to pursue the unification of Korea.