December
4,
2003
Dr. John Merrill
Chief,
Northeast Asia Division,
Bureau of Intelligence and Research,
U.S. Department of State
In his address to the members of the Executive Lecture Forum, John Merrill, chief of the Northeast Asia Division of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research for the U.S. Department of State, explained in great length the real nature of North Korea's nuclear weapons program. He emphasized that the North Korean attempt to become a nuclear power has been a major concern for United States foreign policy officials over the past year. He emphasized that military intervention used to stop the North Korean nuclear program is not the answer to solving this complex problem, by the United States or any other power in the region. President Bush is seeking to find a diplomatic solution for this critically important issue. At the same time, the United States can not allow Kim Jung Il's regime to possess 30 or 40 nuclear bombs, since North Korean nuclear-warhead missiles could destroy an entire country. For instance, one bomb could wipe out Singapore. "We have to draw the line at some point," Dr. Merrill concluded in his excellent and well-received lecture.
