868.48/3296
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Secretary of State (Berle)
The Greek Minister came in to see me, at my request.
I said that I wished to clear up the matter of the dried vegetables and other foods which Lend-Lease was proposing to send to Greece. I said that Lend-Lease had gone ahead with making up its schedules and so forth but that this had been done before any international clearance, either through the Department or with the British, in anticipation of possible later clearance. We were now advised that the British did not feel that they wished to extend the agreement, but wished to limit shipments to wheat. We understood that this attitude on the part of the British would keep up in any event until a report was received from the Swedish-Swiss Commission as to the extent of the need for dried vegetables and other foods. At that time, presumably, the question might be re-examined. For the [Page 774] time being, therefore, I thought that the idea of sending dried vegetables and other foods was out of the question, though after the proposed Swedish-Swiss Commission report came in we would look at it again in the light of the then attitude of the British.
The Greek Minister said that he had a cable from his Prime Minister in London substantially along the same lines. He would therefore work on that basis.
At that time, too, the Prime Minister had said that in anticipation of a possible favorable report from the Swedish-Swiss Commission and a change of attitude of the British Government, he had been directed to work towards getting 2,000 tons of dried vegetables as soon as possible and thereafter 2,000 tons monthly.
I said I noted that, and I thought that in the event of a change of attitude on behalf of the British Government, the food itself could be provided. But until we had some further word, there was not much to be done at the moment.