740.00119 EW/5–1846: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Greece (Rankin)
confidential
Washington, May 22,
1946—8 p.m.
645. Urtel 665, May 18.12 Greeks were told by Dept several months ago that loans could not be made against reparations.13 In connection rumors of request for 200 million dollar Eximbank loan you should take every opportunity informally to call attention of Greek Govt officials to fact that none of 25 million dollar Eximbank loan has been utilized by Greece during more than four months since it was granted Jan 12.
Byrnes
- Not printed; it summarized a note verbale of May 10 from the Greek Foreign Office which outlined the “alleged dire economic plight” of Greece because of astronomic war losses and expressed the conviction that Greece should be accorded priority rights to reparations payments similar to those granted to Belgium after World War (740.0011EW/5–1846).↩
- For a quotation from the relevant memorandum of January 11, 1946, to the Greek Embassy, see footnote 43a, Foreign Relations, 1945, vol. viii, p. 284.↩