868.01/507: Telegram
The Ambassador to the Greek Government in Exile (MacVeagh) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 21—2:40 p.m.]
Greek 122. I have had a talk with Mr. Papandreou who has just come out of Greece (see my Greek 120, April 17, 7 p.m.42) about the EAM and the background of the present Greek revolutionary movement. His views have some importance as being those of the first Greek of really considerable political status to come out of the country since 1941.
Regarding the movement Mr. Papandreou said that he believes it was to a large extent worked up by the fifth column with a view to precisely its present result in hampering Allied operations, particularly naval, at a critical time. The method employed was to make clever use of Russian predispositions on the one hand and Greek political ferment on the other, not forgetting the anti-British suspicion and distrust among the Greeks due to the many mistakes of the past few years (see my Greek 51, February 18, 2 p.m.43)
Regarding EAM he said that recently it has ceased being a political and become frankly a revolutionary body and that it is feared and hated by the majority of the Greek people. He himself is a Leftist and was at one time asked to be the head of EAM but is against tyranny of any sort and tyranny of the Communist Party is what EAM aims to impose. This he said has not been at all understood outside the country and is not known even to many of EAM adherents within it but must be clearly realized if postwar anarchy and bloodshed are to be avoided. He believes that in any government of national unity which may now be formed EAM should be represented but he is sure that from EAM’s point of view such representation would only be another step to complete domination.
Mr. Papandreou expressed himself as in sympathy with the British efforts to end the present mutinies peacefully if possible but in any event to end them and to being [bring?] the culprits to book. But he considers the Communist factor in the situation to be the most dangerous for the future since by adoption on the part of the Soviet [Page 103] press and radio EAM has become an instrument for the spreading of the Soviet influence in opposition to the hitherto dominant British throughout this region thus threatening Greece with possible further martyrdom as the crossroads of the powers.