740.00119 Control (Bulgaria)/12–2444: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman)
67. We are informed that the British Ambassador at Athens20 recently approached the Greek Government with the proposal that the Greeks undertake to send a mission to Sofia for the purpose of presenting Greek claims against Bulgaria to the Allied Control Commission. The Greeks have been advised to take up this matter directly with the Soviet Government through their Ambassador at Moscow.21 Clark-Kerr22 has been instructed to support the Greek request and also to endeavor to secure Soviet agreement that the Greek mission should have direct access to the British and American representatives on the ACC23 as well as the Soviet chairman thereof. We have been asked to join the British in supporting the Greek request.
You are requested to ascertain from the Greek Ambassador and report immediately to the Department whether he has approached the Soviet authorities in this matter. If he has done so, or when he does so, please inform the Soviet Government of our approval of the proposal and our interest in its rapid implementation. No mention need be made at this time of the question of the Greek mission’s access to American and British representatives on the ACC.
In the foregoing connection you should point out to the Soviet Government that we are bearing a heavy burden in effecting relief shipments to Greece and contiguous areas, which problem is complicated by the scarcity of essential supplies and shipping, and that we are seriously concerned by the continued failure to effect Bulgarian shipments to Greece pursuant to the Armistice terms.
Sent to Moscow, repeated to Athens, Sofia and AmPolAd (Caserta).24