740.0011 European War 1939/9443: Telegram
The Minister in Greece (MacVeagh) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 30—12:05 a.m.]
172. Eden arrived here yesterday afternoon. He told me this morning that he feels the immediate implications of the Yugoslav coup53 may have been exaggerated in England and America and that he has come here to explore the possibility of their development. He said: “I don’t care if the Yugoslavs don’t actually repudiate their signature of the Tripartite Pact if only we can get together now and formulate some sort of common policy after which we can take it to the Turks.” He said that his Minister in Belgrade is seeing the new Premier this morning and will fly down here immediately afterwards with all clarifications possible. His own stay here will depend on these. He will lunch with me tomorrow if he is still here and promised in any case to keep me informed of the situation.
I have also talked this morning with Sir John Dill, General Wilson and the air officer commanding. They think situation in Yugoslavia is holding up the German attack on Greece and the last named as well as Eden opined that the attack was scheduled for yesterday in conjunction with a sweep of Italian naval forces in the Eastern Mediterranean. The sweep actually took place and Eden was very much excited over British success in driving the Italians back. He said they turned and fled at 30 knots as soon as the British were sighted and that bombers from Greece scored at least one direct hit on a fleeing cruiser.
I communicated to Eden and Vice Marshal D’Albiac the contents of Earle’s rush telegram 147, March 26,54 in which Eden was much interested. The Marshall said he expects this form of attack combined with parachute landings at Salonika and other places in the immediate rear of the defending lines.
Eden was greatly annoyed by British radio statements regarding the presence of Prince Paul in Greece and on my presence dictated a telegram to the British Minister stating that it would be well if the B. B. C. “ceased speculating” on this subject as it is embarrassing for King of Greece. He would not say definitely whether the Prince is here but the Grand Chamberlain has just told me that he is, and that he and his wife are staying with her mother Princess Nicholas in the Suburis [suburbs?]
- Military coup, March 27, forcing the resignation of Prince Paul, the Regent, setting up a new Government with General Simovitch in control under King Peter II.↩
- Not printed; the Minister in Bulgaria gave information from a Bulgarian Army source that the plan of the initial German attack would be an “air blitzkrieg on Greek airfields and British and Greek airplanes there, probably during daylight. The time very soon.” (740.0011 European War 1939/9359)↩