Eric Merrifield, MD '52: Rhee's Doctor, 1959-60

George: I was President Rhee's Physician for approximately 9 months in 1959-1960. He did not like/trust Korean doctors, at least that was what I was told. I had my own jeep in which I travelled to his palace {?Kyung MuDai} twice a week to see and examine the President. When I arrived on the grounds, they would take and examine my medical bag. What they didn't know was that the pharmacist was a Korean National and a really nice man-also very competent. The President was at Princeton to obtain his PhD when my father was an undergraduate and I had heard my Dad talk about faculty. Rhee and I had a good time talking about the faculty. Dad was '13 at PU. The only anecdote I recall was his story about riding a bicycle to Lawrenceville to get a milk-shake. The wind was in his face on the way over, and after he had finished the milk-shake the wind had shifted around and he had to fight it going back to Princeton. It must have been a strong wind because he remembered it very clearly. As his physician I attended his 85th birthday in Seoul and travelled with him to Chinhae, his "Camp David". He and Madam Rhee gave me gifts on holidays {Pusan plates, screens, and bowls} all of which I still have. received a medal from him-"Order of Military Merit Choongmoo with Silver Star". Finally, Madam Rhee called me at the 548th General Dispensary one afternoon and asked me if I could come to their home near the East Gate of Seoul and please bring along the necessary material with which to vaccinate them. They left the next morning fo Hawaii which is where I believe he died. This is not much that will help people today but it is whatI recall-now 45 years ago. Best to you.
Eric Merrifield, MD '52
Pkoontzmd@aol.com

[Below is follow-up received on February 4]

> George:Your assumption was correct in that I was a member of the United
> States Army Medical Corps,stationed in Seoul.When I arrived on the scene
> apparently I had had more training than some of the other Docs so they
> asked me to do iti.e.take care of the President.I was stationed in a MASH
> Hospital north of Seoul in the 1st Corps area. That was for a short time and I
> returned to Seoul to continue caring for Dr. Rhee. Let me know if I can be
> of further assistance. Eric
>
> From: George Corser[SMTP:gcorser@pcki.com]
> Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2005 6:55 PM
> To: Eric Merrifield, MD
> Subject: Re: Princeton in Korea
>
> Dear Dr. Merrifield '52,
>
> Thank you for your remarkable account of your experience in Korea. It is
> exceptional indeed. How is it that you became Rhee's physician? I assume
> you were in the military, because you had a jeep, but there must have been
> other doctors there. I know this because I used to watch M*A*S*H a lot. ;)
> George Corser '85

Olan Mills: At the Rhee Reception

I was at a dinner in Seoul headlined with General Taylor and the Korean President. I received orders thru channels to attend. I understood that all Princetonians in Korea in the Military at the times received such orders. Many of my classmates were there. Sorry but I do not recall names. Nor do I have any pictures. Also I apologize for the tardy reply. Olan Mills II

Sam Hartwell: At the Rhee Reception in 1954

I was at Syngman Rhee's "Princeton Reunion" at the Presidential Palace in 1954. This doesn't sound like what you are looking for.
Best, Sam Hartwell '52 (Samstrive@aol.com )
[Don't worry, I'm following up with Sam to find out more detail. I just wanted you to know that I found another Princeton attendee.]

John DiMoia: Graduate Research on Korea

I'm not sure if what I can tell you will interest you, but I know of a number of Princeton-Korea connections, largely through the legacy of scientific and technical exchange between the two countries. I don't have a lot of pictures, but more typically, documents, for the following areas:
a) Don Horning: Head of Princeton Chemistry Department, and JFK's / LBJ's science adviser in the early to mid-1960's. Played a siginifcant role in helping to get USAID funding for KIST, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, in 1965 (now part of KAIST).
b) Sam Moffett: Lived in Pyongyang through 1934 as part of an American Missionary family; had taught at the seminary for years--is emeritus there now--and can probably tell you a lot more about Princeton-Korea connections going back almost a century. He probably has a phone number at the seminary where he keeps an office. I also have his e-mail if you want to try to reach him.
c) "Benjamin" Lee: Korea's "Oppeinheimer," a particle physicist, and probably the first Korean at the Institute for AS (early 1960's). Died in a car accident in 1977, and was rumored to have worked on Korea's atomic project in the mid-1970's (see Don Oberdorfer's book for more). The rumors are apocryphal, but have a currency in Korea because of the circumstances of his death.
d) Henry Ayrer: Princeton chem professor--had a lot of Korean grad students, and later went to the University of Utah. A number of the post-Korean war chemists worked and trained under him in the 1950's and 1960's.
e) Herbert Alyea: Helped to revise the high school chem curriculum after the Korean War.
f) Dr. Yungsik Kim: at SNU, former head of PHPS and my sponsor, was at Princeton in the late 1970's. Can probably tell you more about grad alums of his generation.
g) There's also a new book on the North / Kim Il Sung (Under the loving care of the fatherly leader) written by an alum who might know of further connections.
If any of this is of interest to you, let me know, and I can tell you more. I can be reached through this e-mail and at (010 5528 2866, 서울).
John DiMoia, jdimoia@princeton.edu
[current Princeton graduate student]

David Williamson '84 Reviews a Book by Don Oberdorfer '52

Korea: a dimly understood country
A national story worthy of Hollywood
The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History
Addison-Wesley, $30 Don Oberdorfer '52
About two-thirds of the way through The Two Koreas, Don Oberdorfer '52's fine general-interest history of post-war Korea, the veteran Washington Post foreign correspondent drops something of a bombshell. In the spring and summer of 1994, he matter-of-factly asserts, the political crisis over the North Korean nuclear weapons program brought America closer to the brink of war than at any time since the Persian Gulf conflict.
How close? "It is instructive," writes Oberdorfer, "that those in the U.S. and [South Korean] governments who were closest to the decisions are among those, who in retrospect, rate the chances for hostilities to have been the highest." Or in the words of an Air Force lieutenant general, "Inside we all thought we were going to war."
If you happened to miss this geopolitical crisis, don't feel bad -- so did everyone else. That is the way it is for most Americans with most things Korean. Indeed, to the Western audience, Korea remains something of a mystery, a dimly understood land seen primarily through the distorting prism of old reruns of M*A*S*H.
Fiercely patriotic, Koreans are annoyed at how little Americans (and virtually everyone else, for that matter) know about Korea or seem to care. And the Koreans have a point. By any measure, the recent history of Korea, both North and South, makes for one hell of a story, with a plot line worthy of a Hollywood epic. Cold War tension, spies and spectacular assassinations, corruption on a colossal scale, political unrest, and heroic prodemocracy demonstrators, military dictators, and Stalinist relics -- Korea has seen them all over the past 45 years. It makes for remarkable reading, and Oberdorfer delivers handsomely.
His work on the political evolution of South Korea is particularly meaty. While giving due attention to the Korean "economic miracle," the export-led strategy that transformed the South Korean economy from postwar ruins to its current prominence as a top-10 economic power, Oberdorfer does not spend too much time retreading this ground, already the domain of development economists. Instead, he focuses on the tumultuous political intrigue that marked Korea's run of military-dominated governments, starting in the early 1960s with the accession of Park Chung Hee to power.
And intrigue there was in spades. Park, who was later murdered by his own intelligence chief, ruthlessly crushed any opposition to his rule, imprisoning thousands of dissidents and even approving the kidnapping and execution of his main rival, Kim Dae Jung. (In a wonderful historical twist, this is the same Kim Dae Jung who was installed earlier this year as the first Korean president from an opposition party. Quick footwork by the U.S. government prevented his captors from tossing him into the Sea of Japan.)
In addition to his strong-arm tactics, Park was also known for his lucrative dealings with the chaebol, the handful of conglomerates that controlled nearly every aspect of Korean economic life. But it was Park's successor, a general named Chun Doo Hwan, who really pushed corruption to new heights. Oberdorfer is at his best in describing how Chun and his successor, Roh Tae Woo, extorted hundreds of millions of dollars from Korean businesses. Noncompliance with their demands came at a steep price: when one prominent conglomerate called the Kukje Group resisted these payoffs, Chun wasted no time orchestrating its immediate collapse.
In contrast to his deft handling of South Korean politics, however, Oberdorfer falls short in his treatment of the North. In part, this is not his fault; reliable information on North Korea is scant at best, and accurate political intelligence the most scarce of all.
Even so, Oberdorfer could have enlivened The Two Koreas with a richer analysis of the Pyongyong regime and the "Great Leader," Kim Il Sung, the charismatic founder of the North Korean state. Indeed, the surrealistic world of North Korea -- its highly regimented society, the cult worship of Kim Il Sung, the formidable state propaganda machine, and the mismanaged economy -- if anything makes for a better story than the corruption-ridden South. And there are also the unanswered questions about North Korea as a rogue state: why, for instance, the unending campaign to dig tunnels under the Demilitarized Zone (one was big enough to drive trucks through), or the various assassination schemes and terrorist acts?
But this is a small quibble, and given the notoriously unpredictable leadership in the North, Oberdorfer is doubtless wise to curb any temptation to speculate about the causes and motivations of the North Korean leadership. Similarly, he makes no predictions for the future. Instead, with famine rampant throughout the North and economic austerity setting in the South, Oberdorder leaves us with a warning. Hold onto your hats, he writes. Korea is always full of surprises.
-- David Williamson '84
David Williamson, a former PAW staff writer, worked as an editor at the Korea Development Institute in Seoul in 1984-85 as a Princeton-in-Asia fellow.
[Copied from http://www.princeton.edu/~paw/archive_old/PAW97-98/15-0520/0520irtx.html]

Halsey Rogers: Korea in 1986-87

Dear George,Greetings. My dad (Steve Rogers '52) forwarded your message to me, and said that Sam Gelfman was interested not only in the 50s but also in Princetonians with more recent connections to Korea. I worked at the Korea Development Institute in 1986-87, in a position I got through Princeton-in-Asia. Although I've been back to Korea only twice since then, I've kept strong connections with Korea, both because I married a Korean-born grad-school classmate after returning to the States and because I did my doctoral dissertation on a Korean topic. I'd be happy to provide information to correspond with Sam about my Korea connections. My time in Korea may be of some historical interest, because it coincided with the pro-democracy demonstrations and the decision by Chun Doo-whan and Ro Tae-woo to open the political system. Sehe bok mani paduseo! [Happy New Year] Halsey
[F. Halsey Rogers hrogers@worldbank.org ]

Bob Hardy: Korea in 1955-56

Howdy: Referred to me by brother Doug Hardy, PU '52. I am Bob Hardy PU '54 (bio in "LIVES" of class of '54). I was in Korea 1955 to Fall 1956. Served with 13th FA Bn, 24th Inf. Div. Munsan Ri, Korea just south of the Imjin River Bridge. Was Ass't S-3 and spent a lot of time along the DMZ refining arty. battle charts. Have some interesting memories and would love to get back and see the changes over 50 years. So was not there for induction of Syngman Rhee, sorry. I am connected to Col, Gordon Cucullu who wrote the definitive book "Separated at Birth - the Evil Twin" about how the Koreas got the way they are. I can relate one little incident that was very curious. I had a very small savings account with the Bank of Korea in Seoul. One month enclosed with my statement was the statement of the Sino-Soviet Association. There was some $85,000 in that account. Suspecting some skulduggery, I called CID and a nice gentleman in a uniform without insignia came and said this is interesting, we can use it. I guess some loyal Korean was trying to get some information out. All the best, bob hardy bhardy@gmavt.net

Charles Phelps: The Lighter Side of a Terrible War

George - I was in Korea as a corporal, technically a "high speed radio operator"from about 6/52 to 6/53. I was not there at Syngman Rhee's ceremony. I was in an outfit called the ASA (Army Security Agency). This was a newly formed branch that monitored all US communications - phone lines, two way radios, shortwave; code and voice etc. Our HQ was in Seoul, behind the capital bldg. We had a building where about 6 - 10 people who had no communication with the outside, were handed, daily, all the info acquired that day from phone taps, radio reception, etc. The sequestered guys would try to figure out from that info what was happening, militarily, in Korea. (There must have been other locations, to have complete Korea coverage.) Anyway, the isolated people figured just about everything going on in our area, and would send daily reports, quintuplet, to various officers. They knew the names of most officers; and often picked up large scale operations. (they knew about Inchon, and may have been the indirect cause of that landing being called off.) They would also issue security violations for specific people who had given out classified info -usually unaware they had- Often the worst violators were the people we sent the reports to! We did, actually, have a number of people demoted and removed for severe violations. My particular location was just below the 38th parallel. There were about 10 or 12 of us in a small detachment. We did duty three days on and were off two. As the worst part of the war was over and lines had been established, we saw little activity. The most vivid memory was that the battle line, just to our north, was lit up so brightly at night, with powerful searchlights, you could almost read by the light. Both sides had so sectored the hills and no-man's land in between, that a mouse eating a nut could be blown upin a minute! We talked with one GI, living in his six by eight foot cave, dug out of the hill, who told us they hadn't had a hot meal in weeks, though they had requested a cook and a kitchen for months. One day a mess tent, two cooks, and equipment showed up. In about four hours they had it set up, and as the troops lined for their supper, three mortar rounds dropped in - no tent, no cook, no stoves many bodies. Our time, however, was spent in highly rigid army work - a 24 hr poker game with a giant kimchee bowl ( 4 ft high) filled with ice and beer at hand -basketball, building and flying model airplanes. A lovely three hole open air outhouse with a beautiful view of a nearby valley - trips to the Imjin river, a spectacularly beautiful river, to wash trucks, jeeps, etc swim and generally screw off. Once a week into Seoul for the Saturday night party - as I mentioned, we had the largest bar in the area! Our small group was stationed among the UN countries, who had small but active units nearby. Most of us wore uniforms traded with the Aussies, the British or the New Zealanders and the Maori. A Colonel on an unannounced inspection tour, lined us up, looked us over, seeing Aussie and New Zealand hats, British pants, Maori shirts, threw his hands in the air, got back in his jeep and bounced out. What a bunch the Maori were! Dark, tall, handsome, generous, friendly troops who all sang with wonderful voices. I think they could have given the Welsh a run for their tonsorial money! The fields were fertilized with human waste picked up by honey wagons (I'm sureI am not telling you anything new!) so the worst disaster our group had was when a jeep turned over in one of those fields.... With our troops and their ready cash, the black market was a thriving business. I was at the Seoul PX one day, and saw the amazed looks on an Air Force police patrol when they saw three Koreans, right on the main market street trying to sella full sized aircraft jet engine! Good knows where they got it, but I'll bet some AF supply seargent may have gone home happy. Again, our tour was not a dangerous one, for which I am grateful. I will pass along an article written for our local newspaper a few years ago about "the forgotten war" We, personally, were a very lucky bunch! I hope any stuff I pass along may show the lighter side of a terrible war. If you will send me your address, I will send some old photos. In retrospect, I regret not having taken more pictures. My collection is a bit meagre.
Charles Phelps '52 ( actually graduated in '56)
60 N. Front st,Lewisburg, Pa 17837
cpnywizzer@jdweb.com

Fred Lawrence '53: At the Rhee Reception

Dear George; I was at the Princeton reception in Seoul in 1954. I remember seeing, Barry there. As I recall, we received orders to report through regular channels..our presence was required not requested. I was stationed near Chunchon with an eight inch howitzer battalion. I was told pick up Jay Master '52 on the way. I recall that initially, we were greeted in a large auditorium and President Rhee was on the stage. He was a grad student in the early 1900's I believe. I also remember the the singing of Old Nassau was led by Russ Forgan '52. President Rhee spoke as did Gen. Maxwell Taylor. The event was well attended and very interesting. I may somewhere have the program tucked away..if you like I can look for it. Another member of '52, Walt O'Leary was also there. I'd be interested to know whatever you do discover. It was a really unique event. Thanks for contacting me.
Fred Lawrence '53
FTLIII@aol.com

Tom Leary: Briefly in Seoul, 1953

Not sure how my name got on this list because my connection with Korea was tenuous. I did serve on a carrier with the Seventh Fleet in Korean waters in late 1953 and early 1954, but was ashore in Korea for only about a week in that time. I did have one odd, Princeton-related experience. After a week of meetings in Seoul between army and navy intelligence offficers, I had to get back to my ship. They flew us on and off our carriers in old TBMs, converted to carry a few passengers. For reasons I cannot remember, my hop back left from a small satellite airfield, seemingly out in the middle of nowhere. The waiting area was a small Quonset hut with a few benches. When I stepped through the door, the first person I saw -- in army uniform -- was our classmate George Dean (who has been the president of my old eating club)! Even after 51 years, I'll never forget the startled expression on his face.
Tom Leary '52
TLEARY@ftc.gov

Jay Master: At the Rhee Reception

Dear George,
Yes, I was at that dinner with Syngman Rhee. Our ambassador (also Princeton but I don't remember his name) was there along with an uncomfortable-looking Maxwell Taylor who, at that time held the title of Commanding General, FECOM. I was stationed just outside of the airbase known as K-2 in Chunchon, with Headquarters Company of the 351st Transportation Highway Transport Group. Our mission was to provide all of the truck transport of goods and materiél throughout the peninsula. We had five battalions and over a thousand vehicles. As for the dinner, it was rather stiff and formal. Everybody said appropriate things and after a couple of hours we all went our ways. I don't remember if anyone took photos but perhaps some of our more enterprising classmates did. It strikes me somehow, that someone was taking photos as each Princetonian stepped forward to shake hands with Taylor and Rhee who were standing with the ambassador, but it may just have been some Army guy or my over-active imagination. Want more? If so, please be specific because my casual memory isn't too red hot these days.
Best regards, Jay Master '52
jaymast@cyberg8t.com

[I sent a clarification email, because Ellis Briggs was Secretary of State at the time, and does not have Princeton roots. Jay replied with the following.]

Dear George,
You're right about Briggs. There was, however, one other Princetonian whose stamp of approval was on this dinner and that was John Foster Dulles ['1908], then Sec'y. of State. One other correction: I mentioned K-2 as my nearby airbase—it was K-47 that was the airbase in Chunchon.You asked if, while I was in Korea, had I ever thought of coming back. Well, indeed, that happened. My tour in Korea ended in late 1953 when I went back to the states. But, I loved the country and the people of Korea and volunteered to return and this request was granted in early 1954 and it was, of course, later that year that the dinner was held. Many American friends thought I was nuts to ask for another Korean assignment as most Americans thought the country was very Third World and worthy of little attention but, as said, I liked the people and the place. Later that year, part of my duties involved giving talks to the troops on the importance of our presence in the Far East. As for my feelings about the Truman-MacArthur thing, I felt that Truman had done well; MacArthur had an enormous ego and given his head might have tried to run his armies straight through Beijing all the way to Moscow but, give him credit, he had a solid respect for the Constitution and while he disliked Truman, he knew enough to respect him as our duly constituted Commander in Chief. The one conviction that came over me slowly during my periods of duty in Korea, a conviction that has become more deeply imbedded with time, is that all people have identical basic needs. Daily conversations with various souls, particularly my Korean houseboy, showed me how much we all had in common. The environment at Princeton in the late '40's and early '50's still had a strong preppie slant and such a perception, even to a Sociology major, was not intuitive. Well, I suppose there's more to remember but for now I'm tapped out. Regards, Jay Master jaymast@cyberg8t.com

Mike North: Korea in 1953

My legal name is Cecil J. North, Jr., and I was Class of '52. I was in Korea as a forward observer with the 15th FA Battalion of the 2nd Division from, I think, mid-February 1953 for about 12 months. (I can't believe my memory of the dates is so shaky!) I was Princeton ROTC. Began as as 2nd Lt, ended up as a 1st Lt. I may have some pictures. Would be pleased to be interviewed if that would be helpful. I was proud to serve our country.
Mike North '52
mnorthny@aol.com
[I'm currently arranging an interview with Mike, and will also try to get photos. --GC]

Barry Loper: Syngman Rhee Reception, 1954

George,
I did not arrive in Korea until January 1 of 1954, and left in May of 1955. Obviously I was not at the Kickoff of the PC of Korea in 1953; however there was a second Korean-Princeton only party in the 1954-55 timeframe. I was up on the DMZ and was ordered to return to Seoul on 1 day's notice to attend a Princeton reception called by and hosted by Syngman Rhee. The reception linein addition to Pres. Rhee, included Generals Ridgeway, Taylor and Van Fleet. As a green second lieutenant, I got to sit at the end of one leg of a massive u-shaped table during dinner.
I believe George Dean ' 52 (deceased) was an aide on the staff of one of these Generals. I do not know if his widow, Jane, has any documentation in the event there is any interest in this second Tiger celebration. I copied Bill Murdoch '52 on your request. He has a better feel for those Princeton ROTC classmates who ended up in the Field Artillery units in Korea 6 months before I got there. I was OCS and got delayed.
Barry Loper '52
loperb@prodigy.net
[There may have only been one reception, in 1954. I may have gotten the year 1953 wrong from Sam's email. If so, it's my fault. I'll check the facts on that. --GC]
[Barry also reports, in a different email, "One of the other lieutenants at the party was Fred Lawrence '53. It has been 50 years so I may have only dreamed he was there." --GC]