S2: Dr. Sygnman Rhee pushed for complete unification by requesting: CCF must withdrawal; nK Communists must disarm; Soviet and Chinese assistance must stop, under UN guarantee; ROK participation in settlement; no settlement conflicting with ROK sovereignty. Essentially complete surrender. If Dr. Rhee had his conditions for peace approved, what UN capability existed to guarantee no Soviet and Chinese assistance in north Korea?

Dr. Rhee’s demand for total surrender was not brought from a powerful enough position to carry any weight. The sides had punched themselves back to status quo ante and rather than pushing further and potentially forcing a unilateral surrender the best option that could be hoped for was a return to a self imposed stalemate. The momentum was there to carry the US all the way north into China, but the will to continue slogging through the frontier for the benefit of a buffer was not there. The UN realistically had no ability or willingness to meaningfully prevent Soviet or Chinese influence.