868.20/2–1448: Telegram
The Acting Chief of the American Mission for Aid to Greece ( John B. Howard ) to the Secretary of State
niact
Amag 287. Reference Gama 224.1 Reference Paragraph 1. Greek ground force military aid requirements for fiscal year 1949 totaling $201,245,000 exclusive administrative considered not adequate due to current increase of cost of rations to 60 cents each with expected additional increases. Recommend additional minimum requirement of 10,000,000 be added for increase in cost of ration.
Reference Paragraph 2. Unable to recommend on sufficiency of $21,546,555 for proposed expansion because it is not known what costs have been included. For example have cost of rations, clothing and medical, ordnance and signal equipment been included?
Consider estimate for ground force military program as amended above exclusive administrative adequate to support US present policy toward Greece, and further consider the amounts stated are minimum.1 2
[Page 53]Reference Paragraph 3. Reply will be made as soon as additional information received by Navy Group has been analyzed.
- Dated February 11, p. 45.↩
- In reply, on February 16, the Department stated that “Your full $248,472,055 program for Armed Forces is being presented to Bureau of Budget. In view however of overall budget problems, Department must also present an alternative $200,000,000 program. A full explanation will be given of difficulties anticipated on military, economic and political fronts if amount is reduced below $248,472,055, and final determination of amount to be requested from Congress will be made by Bureau of Budget.” The reply stated also that all costs were included in the $21,546,555 (telegram Gama 238, 868.20/2–1648).↩