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The Acting Secretary of State to the Secretary of State, at Berlin
Dear General Marshall: I hope this pouch will reach you before you leave Berlin.
The situation on the Greek-Turkish matter is as follows:
At a meeting this morning with Secretary Snyder, Admiral Leahy,1 Mr. Clifford, and myself, the President reached the conclusion that he had no choice but to go forward with the program. He called a Cabinet meeting and got the unanimous support of the Cabinet. He thereupon canceled his trip to the Caribbean and finding important members of Congress absent from Washington, called a meeting of the Congressional leaders for Monday morning. At that time the fuller explanation, for which they asked at the last meeting, will be given them and the President’s decision communicated. He expects to address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, March 12. He is planning to have his message to Congress broadcast from the Capitol.
The President has appointed a Cabinet Committee of the Secretaries [Page 100] of War, Navy, Treasury, Commerce, and me, to call together next week some financial, business, and labor people, both to get their energetic support at home and to provide recruits for missions which may have to go to Greece to work there.
We have obtained further information from Porter in Greece but need still more before we really can be well prepared for Congressional hearings.
[Here follows a paragraph dealing with the question of China.]
With all good wishes.
Sincerely,
- William D. Leahy, Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy.↩