868.00/3–1747: Telegram
The Chargé in the United Kingdom (Gallman) to the Secretary of State
us urgent
1679. From Douglas. Today Gallman and I called informally on Attlee, in his capacity as Acting Foreign Secretary, and on McNeil and Sargent.1 In the course of the conversations I had with them, I was able to point out to each the significance of the President’s address on Greece and Turkey, and the immediate importance, in view of the hearings and discussions in the Senate and House, of doing here whatever was possible to show support of the objectives mentioned by the President and of avoiding any action that might be interpreted to mean that Britain had no further interest in either Greece or Turkey, without at the same time giving the inference that they [we?] were pulling Britain’s chestnuts out of fire. I then mentioned three specific ways in which the ends I had mentioned could be furthered. The first [Page 124] of these was by retaining in Greece the British Military Mission; the second was supplying US immediately with data on Turkish military needs; and the third, by making available, not as a loan but as a gift, funds extended for general relief purposes in Greece between March 31 and the date on which funds from US, subject to Congressional approval, would become available.
Attlee, McNeil and Sargent showed appreciation of the significance of the President’s address and of the desirability of avoiding actions giving the impression of lukewarm support of the objectives mentioned by the President, or of lack of British interest in Greece and Turkey.
With reference to the three specific questions I raised, Attlee said that the Cabinet was now considering the retention of the British Military Mission in Greece and that I was free to inform you that it was likely that the Cabinet would agree to its remaining there. As to Turkish military needs, he said such information as was now on hand would be made available immediately through the British Military Mission in Washington and that the Chiefs of Staff here were checking to see if any additional information on these needs was available in London, and if so that it would be transmitted to Washington forthwith. With reference to any funds made available for general relief purposes during interim period, Attlee said that he had just been informed by Dalton that these funds would be extended as a gift and not as a loan.2 [Douglas]