868.002/12–2647
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Director of the Office of Near Eastern and African Affairs (Henderson)
I received the Greek Ambassador, Mr. Dendramis, this afternoon at his request.
The Ambassador stated that he had been instructed by his Government to present to the Secretary of State the attached note dated December 261 in which the Greek Government has conveyed its point of view with regard to the setting up of a provisional Greek Government by the Greek guerrillas and asked to be informed as soon as possible of the views of the Government of the United States in the matter.
The Ambassador said that he had received information to the effect that during the last twenty-four hours Greek guerrillas to the number of more than 1500, well-armed and accompanied with artillery, had attacked and taken the Greek town of Konitsa near the Albanian frontier. The Ambassador said that his Government hoped that the United States Government could take some concrete measures in the immediate future which would give the Greek people confidence in the determination of the United States to assist the Greek people in resisting the guerrillas and would discourage the satellites from recognizing and giving additional assistance to the guerrilla “government”. He asked in particular whether it would not be possible for the American Government to assist the Greek Government at once by the dispatch of an aircraft carrier to Salonika.
I replied that the Government of the United States realized the seriousness of recent developments in Greece; that we were giving careful consideration in the highest quarters to what our position in the matter should be; and that until the necessary decisions had been made it was not possible for us to indicate what the American position [Page 466] would be. I told the Ambassador that we hoped that we could outline our position to the Greek Government during the course of the week.
- No. 136, not printed; the Ambassador’s note conveyed the Greek Government’s views that the United States and the United Kingdom should denounce the “fake” cabinet; that recognition of this cabinet by the Soviet Union or its satellites be considered a breach of the peace and make effective the obligation of the United Nations to offer assistance to Greece; that the Greek Government be furnished with assistance in the form of aviation, particularly an aircraft carrier; and that it be made known that recognition of the cabinet would be followed by recognition of the governments in exile, of the Poles, Yugoslavs, etc. (868.002/12–2647).↩