868.248/136
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs (Murray) to the Under Secretary of State (Welles)
Mr. Welles: Air Vice Marshal Slessor telephoned me yesterday evening to say that, after investigation, he had found that almost all of the Curtiss-Wright Tomahawk (P–40) planes had already been loaded for shipment “to another destination” and that therefore he thought it would be necessary to let the Greeks have the thirty Grumman planes already promised them.
The Air Vice Marshal has already informed the Greek Minister in the above sense and is writing a letter to Secretary Knox confirming the British Government’s willingness to forego their request for the Grumman planes.
Information has meanwhile been received from London indicating that spare parts for Grumman planes are being sent to the Near East Command, thus indicating that, contrary to the Air Vice Marshal’s earlier understanding, Grumman planes are to be used in the Near East; hence, there should be no difficulty about the operation of the planes to be given to the Greek Government.
The Air Vice Marshal added that he assumed the necessary steps should be taken to revoke the President’s present order allocating the Grumman planes to the British Government and to authorize the return to the status ante quo under which the planes were to be given to the Greeks.
Mr. Welles conveyed this morning, by telephone, to the Under Secretary of the Navy the information contained in the present memorandum and requested Mr. Forrestal to take the necessary steps to communicate by radio with the President at sea in order that the President’s present order allocating the Grumman planes to the British Government may be revoked and authorization granted to deliver the planes to the Greeks.