George Sutton Patterson

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George Sutton Patterson was a Canadian diplomat and representative on UNTCOK.

After the United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution on UNTCOK on 14 November, Canadian Secretary of State for External Affairs, Lester B Pearson cabled George Patterson, who at the time was posted in Tokyo, to ask him to become Canada's representative on UNTCOK. This was a heavy responsibility, particularly in light of Soviet intimation boycotting UNTCOK. Pearson was looking for a person 'who could give leadership in the work of the Commission.'

While representing Canada in Korea, the US authorities in Korea spied on Patterson. John Hodge, head of US military forces in Korea, reported to Washington that he considered Patterson a 'fellow traveler' of the communists: 'Patterson is the number one outspoken apologist for Soviet Russia and for communism that I have encountered in many months.' Given the anti-communist furver at the time, Patterson's role as arbitrator made him an easy target for Hodge, who often butted heads with Patterson.