Clarence Norwood Weems Jr. (May 28, 1907 – August 18, 1996) was an American scholar of

Korean studies Korean studies is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of Korea, which includes South Korea, North Korea, and diasporic Korean populations. Areas commonly included under this rubric include Korean history, Korean culture, Korea ...

and a

military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...

. He was instrumental in facilitating the

Eagle Project The Eagle Project () was a joint operation during World War II between the Office of Strategic Services of the United States and the Korean Liberation Army of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. It is also called Project Eagle ...

, a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

joint operation between the United States

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the first intelligence agency of the United States, formed during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines ...

and the

Korean Liberation Army The Korean Liberation Army (KLA; ), also known as the Korean Restoration Army, was the armed forces of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. It was established on September 17, 1940, in Chongqing, Republic of China (1912–1949), ...

of the

Korean Provisional Government The Korean Provisional Government (KPG), formally the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea (), was a Korean government-in-exile based in Republic of China (1912–1949), China during Korea under Japanese rule, Japanese rule over K ...

. Weems and his family are remembered fondly in South Korea, for their contributions to education and advocacy for Korean independence.

Early life

Weems was born on May 28, 1907, in Arkansas. His father was Clarence Norwood Weems Sr. (1875–1952) and mother Nancy. He came from a family of missionaries and academics going back several generations; for example, his ancestor

Mason Locke Weems Mason Locke Weems (October 11, 1759 – May 23, 1825), usually referred to as Parson Weems, was an American minister, evangelical bookseller and author who wrote (and rewrote and republished) the first biography of George Washington immediately a ...

was a minister and noted biographer of

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

. In fall 1909, took the family to Songdo (now

Kaesong Kaesong (, ; ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region cl ...

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

) in the

Korean Empire The Korean Empire, officially the Empire of Korea or Imperial Korea, was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by King Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire lasted until the Japanese annexation of Korea in August 1910. Dur ...

. The family arrived and lived in Korea during a tumultuous time, shortly after the

Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910 The Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910, also known as the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty, was made by representatives of the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire on 22 August 1910. In this treaty, Japan formally annexed Korea following the J ...

, in which the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

forcefully colonized the country. Japan went on to impose restrictions on the Christian community. In spite of this, Weems Sr. became a leading figure there, and went on to spend 32 years in the country with the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

mission. He built over 32 churches, trained 25 Korean preachers, enrolled hundreds of children in schools, and served as a member of the board for

Yonsei University Yonsei University () is a Private university, private Christian university, Christian research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Yonsei is one of the three most prestigious universities in the country, part of a group referred to as SK ...

. Weems Jr. was given the nickname "Clam" by his family. He had an older brother, David, and two younger brothers, William Rupert and Benjamin Burch. All the Weems children were raised in Korea, and the youngest two were even born there. After attending the Songdo School for Foreign Students, they went to the United States for education at a boarding school, and all eventually returned to Korea.

Return to the United States

He returned to the United States and attended high school at Hendrix Academy (now

Hendrix College Hendrix College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. Approximately 1,000 students are enrolled, mostly undergraduates. While affiliated with the United Methodist Chu ...

). He went on to study at

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

, from which he graduated with a bachelor's in history in 1930. He enrolled in a master's program there immediately afterwards. His master's thesis is entitled "Japan's Acquisition of Korea from the Treaty of Shimonoseki (1895) to the Annexation of Korea by Japan (1910)". After he graduated in 1933, he worked briefly in Washington as a typist. He then went on to study at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in Boston, but had several interruptions in his education. He got married in 1935 and began a family, and worked as a business administrator. He graduated from Harvard in 1938, with a thesis entitled "Comparative methods of Japanese expansion in Korea and Manchuria". In 1941, he moved to

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

to work for the J. B. Beaird Corporation in the oil and gas industry.

Military career

On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, which led to the entry of the United States into

. Weems began serving in the war effort first as a civilian intelligence analyst for the army. In February 1942, the

Military Intelligence Service The Military Intelligence Service (, ''America Rikugun Jōhōbu'') was a World War II U.S. military unit consisting of two branches, the Japanese American unit (described here) and the German-Austrian unit based at Camp Ritchie, best known as ...

(MIS) hired Weems and made him its main analyst on Korean issues. Weems returned to Washington. On 18 September 1942, he was promoted to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

. On February 27, 1943, he gave a presentation at the invitation of the

California Korean Reserve California () is a state in the Western United States that lies on the Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California to the sout ...

at the

Palace Hotel, San Francisco The Palace Hotel is a landmark historic hotel in San Francisco, California, located at the southwest corner of Market and New Montgomery streets. The hotel is also referred to as the New Palace Hotel to distinguish it from the original 1875 P ...

, entitled "Korea Yesterday and Tomorrow". A few days afterwards, on March 8, he was placed in the San Francisco office of the

(OSS). From October 1943 until March 1945, he worked out of the OSS headquarters in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. He then moved to the OSS office in

Anhui Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...

between June and August 1945, and was placed in charge of a training camp for Koreans guerillas. After the

liberation of Korea Liberation or liberate may refer to: Film and television * ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War * "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode * "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode Gaming * '' Liberati ...

in August 1945, Weems returned to the United States for a vacation, and went back to Korea to work in the

United States Military Government in Korea The United States Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK) was the official ruling body of the southern half of the Korean Peninsula from 9 September 1945 to 15 August 1948. The country during this period was plagued with political and econ ...

(USAMGIK) as a translator and aide for General Archibald Arnold. He was promoted to the rank of major in July 1946.

Personal life

In 1935, he married Jennie Dunn Ligon from

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

. They had their first son together, William Sumner Weems in June 1939.

References

Sources

In English

In Korean

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Weems, Clarence 1907 births 1996 deaths American academics Foreign supporters of Korean independence United States Army officers People of the Office of Strategic Services Vanderbilt University alumni Harvard University alumni Historians of Korea