Meritorious Service Record

On June 4, 1941, the State Council of the Korean Provisional Government in Chongqing established the Korean Diplomatic Commission in Washington, D.C., appointing Syngman Rhee as its chairman to strengthen diplomatic efforts in the United States. At the same time, John Wesley Staggers, a lawyer, was appointed as the commission’s legal advisor.
In late December 1941, Staggers and Jay Jerome Williams visited Salisbury of the U.S. State Department’s Far Eastern Bureau to push for the recognition of the Korean Provisional Government and the participation of Koreans in the war.
On January 9, 1942, Staggers co-signed a letter with Frederick Brown Harris and Williams to the U.S. Secretary of State, urging a formal review of Korea’s situation and the recognition of the Korean Provisional Government. On February 4, 1942, he co-signed another letter to U.S. Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, emphasizing the necessity of Korean independence and armed resistance against Japan, and urging Knox to submit their recommendations to the U.S. President. Around this time, Staggers also served as a senior advisor to the United Korean Committee in America (재미한족연합위원회).
In March 1942, he attended the Korean Liberty Conference at the Lafayette Hotel in Washington, D.C., which was hosted by the United Korean Committee in America. There, he delivered a speech in support of Korea’s independence movement.
On July 1, 1942, Staggers wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull, inquiring whether the Korean Diplomatic Commission in Washington, D.C., could negotiate private loans in the U.S. to provide material support to the Korean Provisional Government. In a follow-up letter on July 20, 1942, he stressed:
"My inquiry may not seem important to the U.S. State Department, but it is of great significance to 23 million Koreans. They seek material support to train and organize Koreans in the Military Region. Their organization could be the most useful ally for the U.S. in the war to defeat Japan."
On September 9, 1942, Kim Gu, the Chairman of the Korean Provisional Government in Chongqing, and members of the Korean Independence Party sent Staggers a letter of gratitude for his unwavering support for Korea’s independence movement.
John Wesley Staggers passed away in 1963.
In 1950, the South Korean government awarded John Wesley Staggers the Order of Merit for National Foundation (Independence Medal) in recognition of his contributions to Korea’s independence.