501.BB Balkan/5–3149: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Acting Secretary of State
2204. Webb from Acheson. Bevin conv two.1 Bevin again discussed Greek situation with me this morning.2 He said Hector McNeil believes Greek Government cannot ever settle it, but Noel-Baker3 thinks differently. UK desires ascertain Greek views on possible steps. Are Greeks prepared to grant amnesty and would they let UN supervise amnesty? If so, task should be entrusted smaller powers such as Denmark. Would Greeks agree to UN supervision elections after rebel surrender? This would be helpful in West opinion. Should Greeks be urged to outlaw Communist Party? In Bevin’s opinion we should not press them to do so since Greek electors would sufficiently dispose of Communist candidates.
Bevin stressed above questions did not represent positive proposals, but he felt we should not let Greek situation drift. I told him that we had indications that UN supervision of elections would not be acceptable to Greeks; that I was not sure on the question of supervision of amnesty and that I thought we ought to leave it to the Greeks to decide whether or not they wish to outlaw Communist Party. Bevin further suggested if Greeks would abandon propaganda for Northern Epirus this would tone down Russian agitation. He recalled discussing this with Byrnes and with Tsaldaris. I told him I had taken similar line previously with Tsaldaris and agreed with Bevin’s general view.
I said we would get further Departmental views on specific points he raised.
Bevin has apparently dropped the idea of any reply to the Russians re Gromyko approaches.
- In his telegram 2203, May 31, from Paris, not printed, Secretary of State Acheson reported on the first part of his conversation with Foreign Secretary Bevin when Hong Kong was the topic of discussion (740.00119 Council/5–3149). This private conversation was not regarded as a part of the Council of Foreign Ministers session. For documentation on those formal meetings, see vol. iii, pp. 913 ff. Greece was not on the Council’s agenda and was not taken up at any of the Council’s meetings.↩
- Regarding Secretary Acheson’s previous conversation with Foreign Secretary Bevin on Greece on May 26, see footnote 2 to the paper prepared by the British Foreign Office, printed as Enclosure A to Hoyer Millar’s note of May 25 to Rusk, p. 342.↩
- Philip Noel-Baker, British Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations.↩