868.01/4–845: Telegram

Mr. Alexander C. Kirk, Political Adviser to the Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean Theater, to the Secretary of State

1408. Re our 1085, March 22. Macmillan informed us this afternoon that he would leave for Athens tomorrow morning at Churchill’s request in order to assist the British Ambassador there in “advising” the Regent on the formation of a new government.55 He added that he would counsel Damaskinos to form a “gouvernement de service”; that is, a Ministry consisting of a small number of portfolios to be taken over by one army man, some business men and some trade union people. He said that he would endeavor to combine all the Ministries having to do with finance, commerce, trade, reconstruction, et cetera, into one Ministry under Varvaressos who would be the strong man of the new government. … Macmillan concluded his remarks on this subject with the statement that he felt confident he could put the aforementioned program through and insisted that Greece should have a “gouvernement de service” until elections could be held.56

Kirk
  1. The Plastiras government resigned on April 7.
  2. The Ambassador in Greece reported in his telegram 362, April 9, 1945, that a new cabinet under Adm. Petros Voulgaris had been sworn into office April 8 (868.002/4–945). Admiral Voulgaris had been Commander in Chief of the Greek Navy from the time of the Greek naval mutiny at Alexandria, Egypt, in April 1944.