740.0011 European War 1939/7915: Telegram

The Minister in Greece ( MacVeagh ) to the Secretary of State

40. The Military Attaché reports that there appears to be no material change in the situation along the front. In spite of reported counter-attacks by the Italians north of Klissoura, the Greeks are consolidating and holding the positions gained in this area and are continuing to threaten the Tepeleni salient. Their morale remains high. There are Italian concentrations north of Pogradetz but Greek intelligence authorities betray no uneasiness being convinced that the Italians are incapable of launching a sustained attack on any worthwhile scale.

In addition Major Baker stated after a personal visit to the docks that two more large ships of about 10,000 tons each which have arrived at Piraeus brought several hundred new one and one-half ton Chevrolet and Ford trucks of Canadian manufacture for the Greek Army as well as general supplies and provisions.

Please inform War Department.

[Page 640]

In recent conversations both the Director General and the Political Director of the Foreign Office12 have assured me that formal relations with the German Government continue unchanged. The Political Director, however, knocked on wood as he spoke. The Greek authorities have taken no cognizance of the German reconnaissance reported in my telegram No. 31, January 20, 8 p.m.,13 and the Germans have made no official reference here to the allegation broadcast over the British radio that the assassin of a German official in Bucharest was a Greek. In this latter connection the Political Director stated categorically that the allegation is false and again expressed Greek inability to comprehend the mentality of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

There are signs of disappointment among the British authorities here as a result of the staff talks in Ankara referred to in my telegram No. 26, January 17, 6 p.m. On the other hand the Turkish Ambassador appears well satisfied. While professing to have no other information than what has appeared in the press he has just told me that in the Turkish view England should hasten to finish with the Italians in Libya in order to face developments here with more adequate forces and stressed the inadvisability of “provoking” Germany so long as it remains at all possible that the latter’s concentrations in Rumania are defensively designed.

MacVeagh
  1. Andre Delmouzos and Leon Melas, respectively.
  2. Not printed.