CFM files, lot M–88, box 253
Memorandum by the Charge in Canada (Bliss) to the Ambassador at Large (Jessup)
Subject: Greece and Turkey
Today the Greek Ambassador called to give us the latest tidbits regarding the Greek-Turkey question.
1. At New York yesterday Trygve Lie gave a dinner for the Danish Delegation, at which the Greek UN representative was present. There was frank discussion of the admission question, in the course of which Thorkil Kristensen, Danish Finance Minister, indicated that he intended to make a speech at Ottawa in opposition to the admission of Greece and Turkey, apparently for the record only and for home consumption in the Socialist party. He was strongly criticised for this by Kraft, the Foreign Minister, and by Hansen, one of the delegates. In the end he appears to have agreed that he would not push the Opposition to the point of insisting that Denmark vote against the proposal. It would appear that Kristensen has so much political strength that his delegation will probably not be able to shut him off entirely.
2. The Greek Ambassador called yesterday on Heeney at External Affairs and received assurances that Canada now favors the admission proposal. A week ago the Ambassador felt that Canada was a little doubtful. He deduces that Canada has now received assurances of unqualified British support and is now therefore firmly in favor. (In our view he rather overestimates the British influence on Canada.)
3. The Portuguese delegation, according to the Greek Ambassador, started for Ottawa with the intention of opposing the admission of Greece and Turkey to NATO on the ground that this should be posponed until Spain could also be considered for admission. He now understands that this intention is considerably weaker and that Portugal will probably go along.
4. His Turkish colleague, who has been working closely with the Greek Ambassador in Ottawa on this problem, has informed him that Turkey, having refused to accept a conditional invitation to membership, has now indicated that if an unconditional invitation is approved there will be no opposition to placing Turkish forces under British command in the Mediterranean.