501.BC Greece/4–1447: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to Mr. Mark F. Ethridge, at Geneva
139. For Ethridge. Dept has reconsidered Deptel 2001 to Athens in light of your No. 342 and of SC discussions, especially with respect [Page 834] to US aid program. We hope that Commission’s report will be considered by SC prior to any SC action re aid program.
We agree with your No. 34 that continuing Commission is likely to be more effective if there are no stringent limitations on its authority as mediator of first resort. We also agree that it might appropriately include such questions as Salonika,3 refugees and hostages. However, we do not wish to broaden terms of reference in such manner that any member of continuing Commission could use Commission as a device to delay or forestall US aid program or to use latter as pretext for postponing legitimate business of Commission.
For your info US will probably oppose any attempt in SC to link functions of continuing Commission to any proposal for UN supervision or observation of US aid program.
Dept’s views re neutral observers set forth its 140, 7 p. m. today.4
Sent Geneva. Repeated Athens, Salonika, Belgrade, Sofia, New York, London, Moscow for the Secretary.
- Dated February 20, p. 821.↩
- Dated April 1, not printed; but see telegram 89, April 3, to Geneva, and footnote 1, p. 830.↩
- On April 1, the Department informed Mr. Ethridge in telegram 186, to Belgrade, that “it is public knowledge that US favors an international free zone at Salonika under Greek sovereignty and administration.” It stated further that the establishment of such a zone should be negotiated by the Greek, Yugoslav and Bulgarian Governments after the solution of the present border disturbances (501.BC Greece/4–147).↩
- Infra.↩