Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, 1943, The Near East and Africa, Volume IV

868.01/426

The British Embassy to the Department of State

Aide-Mémoire

In view of the Civil War started in Greece by the E. A. M. E. L. A. S. groups against other organisations in the middle of last October, His Majesty’s Government have recently had their policy towards Greece under consideration and have been in consultation with the Royal Hellenic Government in this connection.

2. M. Tsouderos has proposed the following plan, based on King George’s letter of November 8th⁶⁵ to M. Tsouderos in which the King stated that at the moment of liberation he would reconsider the date of his return to Greece in the light of political and military conditions then prevailing and would make his decision in agreement with the Royal Hellenic Government:

A) The King and his Government will entrust their representation in Greece to the Archbishop of Athens and to a secret committee composed of reliable persons.

B) Adequate facilities will be provided by the Allies to the King and his Government to maintain close contact with the Archbishop at Athens and his committee.

C) All matters concerning guerilla bands and organisations and resistance in general against the enemy in Greece, shall be determined by a joint executive committee of the Greek Government and the British authorities.

D) As soon as communications are established with the Archbishop of Athens, he will without delay enter into negotiations with political parties in Athens and with such national bands as are resisting the enemy and have purely military aims. The object of these negotiations will be to secure the fullest possible co-operation in the common struggle against the enemy. The Greek Government will be prepared to include the representatives of the above organisations in the Government in Cairo.

E) At the appropriate moment the Greek Government in consultation with British authorities, will agree to any request made by the national bands for incorporation in the Greek regular forces.

F) The future regime and Government in Greece will be decided by the Greek people at the elections to be carried out in Greece after liberation in accordance with the King’s declaration of July 4th.

G) All discussion about the date of the King’s return to Greece shall be considered definitely closed once the King’s letter to his Prime Minister of November 8th has been published in its revised form.

3. Certain modifications in the above plan recommended by the British Ambassador to the Greek Government in Cairo have been approved by His Majesty’s Government and are as follows:

The Greek Government should be invited to address an appeal to Zervas and Sarafis (Commander-in-Chief of E. L. A. S.) to conclude an armistice on the following lines:—

A. Zervas will confine his bands to a specified area in the Epirus and E. L. A. S. will withdraw from this area.

B. E. L. A. S. bands in this area will have safe conduct to withdraw and E. D. E. S. bands similar safe conduct to withdraw from E. L. A. S. area.

C. When the withdrawals have been completed the Greek Government shall offer to incorporate in the Greek regular army any bands prepared to resist the enemy under the direct operational instructions of the Allied Commander-in-Chief. The Greek Government will then request the latter to renew supplies of arms for this purpose.

4. Before the Greek Government address this appeal (which should be done publicly) they should first put their proposals to His Majesty’s Government, the United States Government and the Soviet Government and seek their approval together with authority to quote this approval in the appeal made to both sides.

5. It is suggested that these modifications are advantageous insofar as:

A. They bring in the three Allied Governments and thus make it practically impossible for E. L. A. S. to refuse. If E. L. A. S. do refuse, the help given to Zervas will be justified to the full, whilst the authority of the E. L. A. S. leaders will at the same time be undermined;

B. The authority of the Greek Government will be enormously strengthened in Egypt and in Greece;

C. His Majesty’s Government will avoid any direct responsibility of taking sides in Greek international [internal?] affairs;

D. The chances of a renewal of resistance to the enemy will be quickened.

6. His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Greek Government in Cairo has reported that the publication of the King’s letter and the attention given Greek affairs by leading British and American personalities during the Cairo Conference has greatly enhanced the prestige of the Greek Government. The moment is therefore suitable for adding still further to their prestige by the steps suggested above and there is reason to hope that a policy based on their increased authority both in Greece and abroad would have good prospects of success.

7. It will take some little time to obtain the approval of the Greek Government’s appeal. During this period it will be His Majesty’s Government’s object to keep the guerilla movement in existence, but at the same time not to assist E. L. A. S. to attack their rivals. Lest maintenance of the ban on army supplies to the E. L. A. S. bands should have a serious effect on the guerilla movement as a whole, His Majesty’s Government are considering the possibility of continuing to furnish the non-E. L. A. S. bands with supplies and arms during the interim and of sending medical and relief stores to the E. L. A. S. bands where these are required. They may also send some arms to the latter in the cases where, in the opinion of the Commander-in-Chief of the Middle East and the other British authorities concerned, these arms would be used against the enemy.

8. These proposals have still to be considered by the Middle East Defense Committee and will also require discussion with the Greek Government. His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Greek Government will consider them with his United States colleague as soon as possible, and Lord Halifax⁶⁶ has been instructed to inform the State Department of the position. As soon as agreement has been reached in Cairo the way will be clear for the matter to be raised with the Soviet Government.

Washington , December 22, 1943.

65. Presumably the letter referred to in telegram No. 110, November 23, 5 p.m., from the Ambassador to the Greek Government in Exile, p. 155.
66. British Ambassador in the United States.