782.5/8–1750: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Embassy in Greece
top secret
Washington, August 17,
1950—4 a. m.
483. Re Embtel 460, August 10.1 Dept in process formulating position re incl Greece and Turkey NAT. It is urgent to formulate US position since Fr and Brit NAT Deps may raise ques with Spofford in Lond after NAT Deps reconvene Aug 22.
In view extreme complexity this problem and impossibility anticipating ultimate US attitude you shld not encourage either official or informal Grk approach at this time.
Two of several perplexing problems re admission GT are:
- 1.
- If, as members NAT, GT realize fact NAT powers, with present capabilities, cannot commit substantial forces to GT in event aggression, wld net effect incl GT be more harmful than not?
- 2.
- Assuming GT included NAT, what measures can be taken indicate effectively to Iran and USSR continuing US interest in independence and integrity Iran?
Ur comments requested particularly re question 1.
Acheson
- Not printed.↩