501.BC Greece/5–1047: Telegram
The Secretary of State to Mr. Mark F. Ethridge, at Geneva
us urgent
niact
349. For Ethridge. Re questions concerning your draft conclusions raised urtel 65 May 81 SC directed Commission “ascertain facts relating alleged border violations along frontier” and “elucidate causes and nature border violations and disturbances”. We agree with you that Commission was not required to concern itself with detailed investigations numerous insignificant border incidents. It was for this reason that Dept after lengthy deliberation chose and insisted upon broader terms “border violations and disturbances”. We have never considered border violations and disturbances synonymous with border incidents. Your statement that investigation has been primarily concerned with aid given by northern neighbors to guerrilla movement makes it clear that Commission itself has interpreted the words border violations and disturbances in its terms of reference as including more than mere border incidents. Sections I and II your [Page 849] conclusions appear directly responsive to Commission’s terms of reference.
Dept has not received text conclusions; hence some misunderstanding on your conclusion III may derive from differences between your full text and telegraphic summary contained urtel 57.2 If Section III deals with large number minor incidents of nature common most international borders and without political significance, Dept offers no objection. However if Section III also comprises incidents connected with or flowing from activities described in Sections I and II, Dept can not agree that such incidents evidence no aggressive intentions. If incidents are in former category only, Dept questions whether conclusions thereon should constitute one of five major categories of conclusions.
Dept adheres to its views (Deptel 3133) regarding Section V of conclusions. Use of phrase “Responsibility of Greek Government” unnecessarily ambiguous and confuses the factual account of the reactions of Greek nationals to activities of the Greek Government with assessment of legal and political responsibility regarding border violations and disturbances. It suggests that internal conditions in one country can be used to justify violations of territory by neighboring states which would otherwise be clearly contrary to Charter. It also affords propaganda opportunity which would not be passed over in the Security Council.
Re recommendations. It has always been Dept’s policy that terms of reference continuing commission should not and need not be broader than those of present Investigating Commission. We have been and are agreeable to their being just as broad. We do not agree that continuing commission with terms limited to border violations and disturbances as interpreted by us above would lower prestige of present Commission or of SC. Matter has been fully considered since despatch Deptel 200 to Athens. Excellent work of Commission under its terms of reference has confirmed Dept’s views that continuing commission need not have broader terms of reference than has present Commission. We recognize impossibility of placing explicit limitations in terms of reference of continuing commission with respect U.S. aid program. We also recognize that restricting continuing commission to frontier violations and disturbances will not provide one hundred percent guarantee that northern neighbors will not attempt raise aid program before commission. Finally, we believe that terms of reference limited to pacific settlement of disputes connected with or arising from frontier violations and disturbances are sufficiently broad to enable SC to fulfill its responsibilities.
Sent Geneva 349; rptd Athens 619, New York 213.