868.01/488: Telegram
The Ambassador to the Greek Government in Exile (MacVeagh) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 6—11:00 a.m.]
Greek Series 104. Immediately following a new meeting of the Greek Cabinet (see my Greek Series No. 103, April 4, 8 pm) I had another talk with Mr. Tsouderos this morning. He told me that the King’s reply was found “dictatorial and unacceptable” by Messrs. Venizelos, Karapaniotis, Voulgaris and Sophoulis and that they therefore presented their resignations along with those of the other two [Page 93] members of the Cabinet, Dimitrikakis and Theophanides,25 who merely said that under the circumstances they could no longer continue to hold their portfolios. Mr. Venizelos refused to go to London.
Meanwhile before the meeting the commanding officers of all the Greek naval units at Alexandria had called on the Prime Minister and informed him that the sentiment of the Fleet is almost 100% for a government of national unity with greater recognition of the People’s Committee in Greece than he is understood to favor and that they support Mr. Venizelos for the Premiership. Order in the Fleet is still preserved, they said, but only barely and the Admiral of the Fleet, Alexandris,26 confirmed their statements by phone. Accordingly Mr. Tsouderos is again telegraphing urgently to the King stating that it is absolutely necessary that he charge Mr. Venizelos with the formation of a new government.
Comment in the present confused situation is difficult. Judging from deputations calling at this Embassy and from other sources of information open to me there is a rising tide of feeling in Greek circles here against the British who seem to have failed so far to make it plain to the excited Greek mentality that their military action has been taken purely for the preservation of order and not in support of Tsouderos and the King. This and other factors such as a possible continued refusal on the King’s part to accept offered solutions may eventually bring the old royalist question more into the picture than it is at present. Mr. Tsouderos said that he feels the existing alliance of Republican politicians and Leftist elements is “pointed” primarily at the King and at himself as being “too Royalist”. But fundamentally he feels it represents EAM-ite maneuvering for Communist aims. Asked what he thought the EAM expects to get from Mr. Venizelos whose public expressions of policy in its regard have so closely paralleled his own, he replied that the EAM doubtless considers the present movement merely as another step in the Leftist advance which has been making headway in Greece ever since the death of Metaxas27 and that after destroying the “Royalist” Tsouderos with the help of the “Republican” Venizelos it will not delay long, perhaps no longer than a few months before attempting to supplant the latter with someone still more radical. Meanwhile he himself hopes that some stronger Republican personality such as Papandreou28 may come out of Greece to help guide affairs here before this swing to the Left goes too far. The above naturally contrasts [Page 94] somewhat sharply with the views of the Venizelos faction. In conversation with Mr. Parsons29 of this Embassy this morning, Mr. Karapaniotis agreed to a statement of one of his associates to the effect that, while the policy of Mr. Venizelos does not differ greatly from that of Mr. Tsouderos, the latter “can not be trusted” to carry it out. Unquestionably purely personal ambitions, jealousies and animosities color the present situation to a high degree. Incidentally in this conversation it came out that the Republicans may intend, should the King refuse to accept Mr. Venizelos as Premier, to form a government of national unity themselves irrespective of the Crown.
Finally, it may interest the Department that according to Mr. Tsouderos his former Vice President of the Council, Mr. Roussos, who already had connections with EAM last year at the time of the revolt of the 2nd Brigade, has been busily instrumental in hatching the present movement though he has no desire to take office again on account of his advanced age.
- Stelios Dimitrikakis, Minister of Justice and Labor, and Stavros Theophanides, Under Secretary of State for Merchant Marine.↩
- Constantine Alexandris, Commander in Chief of the Greek Fleet in the Middle East.↩
- Gen. John Metaxas, Greek Prime Minister, 1936–41.↩
- George Papandreou, former Greek Cabinet member.↩
- Arthur W. Parsons, Special Assistant to Ambassador MacVeagh.↩