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If my memory serves me right, Muccio was the one
who drew up Plan Everready in the late 40's (before the war). Operation
Everready was presumably based on Muccio's Plan.
The Operation has three options: (1) ROK troops refuse to follow UN commands, (2) ROK troops go alone, and (3) ROK troops and civilians turn hostile to UN forces. Under (1), US forces would occupy major cities and military installation and place ROK units under increased (they were already being watched) surveillance. Under (2), ROK units would be disarmed and the ROK government would be taken over by US personnel, and under (3) Rhee and other Korean leaders would be eliminated and the trusted ROK commanders would be put in charge (many Korean generals, including the Chief of Staff, Gen. Kim Paik Il, were on the US payroll at the time). The big general (MacArthur) and little Rhee
had a love-hate relationship. When the war broke out, Rhee phoned the
general with the bad/good news but the general's aid told Rhee to
call back later because the general was resting.
Rhee went crazy and raved that he would kill every American
in his Korea, unless he got to talk to the general then and
there.
Rhee wept openly on hearing that the general
was fired. Sometime later, the general said of Rhee: "Rhee will be killed in a few weeks, when
the Korean people find out the truth" about him. In 1960, the Korean
people did find the truth and the CIA sent in a CAT plane and spirited
Rhee out of Korea before the Korean people could kill him.
There is a life story of Francesca Donner (Rhee's Austrian
wife) at:
http://monthly.chosun.com/html/200102/200102210021_1.html
- written by a Rhee admirer for Chosun Ilbo.
The Princeton University Library has a long file on
Rhee, including his "doctoral" thesis and documents on how he managed to get a
Ph.D. without earning it.
ysk
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