Office of the Historian

868.00/8–1845

The British Chargé (Balfour) to the Secretary of State

His Majesty’s Chargé d’Affaires presents his compliments to the Secretary of State and has the honour to refer to a previous communication from this Embassy dated August 10th, stating that the policy of the United Kingdom Government towards Greece was under consideration in the light of the accession to power of a new Government in London.

2.
Mr. Balfour is now informed that His Majesty’s Government’s policy towards Greece may be summarized as follows:
a)
It is desirable that Greece should have a stable Government as soon as possible, since lack of certainty in this matter encourages the continuation of political strife. His Majesty’s Government will press for elections and a plebiscite to be held in Greece as soon as possible. If it can be arranged, elections should precede the plebiscite but the Greeks themselves must take the initiative and responsibility on this point.
b)
There are the strongest grounds for maintaining the Voulgaris Service Government in power until the elections have been held. Otherwise the holding of the elections will be subjected to delays, which will seriously affect the financial and economic position in Greece and require the maintenance of British troops in the country for a further period. All reasonable steps should be taken to meet justifiable criticism by the left-wing parties and to ensure that law and order are maintained on an impartial basis.
c)
It will give confidence to world opinion if elections are held under Allied supervision. His Majesty’s Government attach importance to associating Dominion representatives with those of the United Kingdom as British observers for this purpose.
d)
His Majesty’s Government are desirous of acting in the closest cooperation with the United States in all steps taken.
e)
These proposals are framed in the conviction that the political stability of Greece is vital to the general stability of the whole Middle Eastern area and to the contribution of that area to the future working of the World Security Organisation.
3.
Mr. Balfour is also instructed to notify the Secretary of State, for his confidential information, that it is proposed to extend an invitation to the Regent to pay a short visit to London to confer with His Majesty’s Government. It is hoped that this visit will take place in the first few days of September to coincide with the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers94 and to afford His Majesty’s Government an opportunity of associating the Secretary of State in the discussions and of ascertaining the United States Government’s views on the general Greek situation. It is understood that, while this invitation to the Regent has been extended, it has not yet been accepted, and in any event it is hoped that the matter will be kept confidential until Mr. Bevin’s statement in the House of Commons on foreign, affairs, now scheduled for August 20th.95
4.
The United States Government are aware that His Majesty’s Government are concerned at the continuing Soviet press propaganda on the Greek situation. His Majesty’s Government take the view, that, should this propaganda persist, it will be necessary to make their position clear to the Government of the Soviet Union.
Washington , August 18, 1945.
  1. For documentation regarding the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers at London, September 11–October 2, 1945, see vol. ii, pp. 99 ff.↩
  2. For the section relating to Greece, see Parliamentary Debates, House of Commons, 5th series, vol. 413, cols. 289–290.↩