Office of the Historian

868.00/11–945

Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, by the Assistant Chief of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs (Kohler)

[Washington,] November 9, 1945.

M. Lacoste50 called this morning and, referring to our recent conversations regarding the forthcoming Greek elections, said the Embassy had now received a telegram from Paris stating that:

1)
General Laparra, former Chief of the French Military Liaison Mission at AFHQ in Italy, had been appointed to head the French group which would observe the Greek elections;
2)
The Foreign Minister would authorize General Laparra to proceed to London for discussions with the British and ourselves as soon as the British had designated their own man for the purpose and extended an invitation;
3)
The Foreign Ministry was prepared to authorize General Laparra to accompany American and British representatives to Greece for a preliminary survey.

[Page 178]

In reply to my inquiry, M. Lacoste confirmed that the French had not yet been approached by the British in connection with this question.

Note: Mr. Baxter informed Mr. Pares of the British Embassy about the foregoing conversation and expressed our surprise that the British had not yet approached the French. Pares said the Embassy would telegraph London on the subject.

  1. Minister at the French Embassy in the United States.↩