Office of the Historian

868.20 Mission/5–2548

The Secretary of the Army (Royall) to the Secretary of State

confidential
Washington, 25 May 1948.

Dear Mr. Secretary: Reference is made to your letter of 7 November 1947 addressed to me1 requesting that I notify the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives and the Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate that action was being taken to furnish operational guidance to the Greek Armed Forces.

[Page 96]

Accordingly on 10 November 1947 I verbally notified Senator Vandenberg and Representative Eaton of this fact and further stated that this would necessitate assigning an additional 90 officers and 75 to 80 enlisted men. The strength of the United States Army Group in Greece at that time was 28 officers and 14 enlisted men.

On 10 May 1948 the Joint Chiefs of Staff approved the following personnel authorization for the Joint U.S. Military Advisory and Planning Group in Greece:2 134 officers and 140 enlisted men from Department of the Army; 4 officers and 3 enlisted men from Department of the Navy; and, 9 officers and 9 enlisted men from the Department of the Air Force. The present authorized strength of the Administrative and Logistics Group, United States Army Group, American Mission for Aid to Greece, is 42 officers and 50 enlisted men. Thus, the total Department of the Army personnnel authorization for Greece is 176 officers and 10 enlisted men.

Your concurrence in the new personnel authorization is requested.3 In view of the fact that the personnel increase represents a total augmentation of 77 officers and 110 to 115 enlisted personnel above the personnel strength transmitted to Mr. Vandenberg and Mr. Eaton on 10 November, it is recommended that they be notified of the new authorization.

Kenneth C. Royall
  1. Not printed; but see footnote 4, Foreign Relations, 1947, vol. v, p. 393.↩
  2. In commenting on Lieutenant General Van Fleet’s request of March 31 for increases in his staff, Governor Griswold, on April 9, noted that the “leading factor in improved GNA morale and demonstrated fighting ability has been presence “US Army officers in field as advisers. I concur therefore with Van Fleet [on] desirability strengthening field units with corps and divisions and Peloponnesus Command.” (telegram Amag 643, 868.20/4–948)↩
  3. The Secretary of State gave his concurrence in a letter to Secretary Eoyall on June 10 (868.20 Mission/5–2548).↩