306. Memorandum of Conversation1
SECRETARY’S DELEGATION TO THE TWENTY-SECOND SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
New York, September–October 1967
SUBJECT
- US-Greek Relations (Part II of III)
PARTICIPANTS
-
U.S.
- The Secretary
- Robert A. Stein, NEA Adviser
-
Greece
- Foreign Minister Paul Economou-Gouras
- Ambassador to the US Christian Palamas
The Foreign Minister said that work was going forward on drafting a Greek Constitution. When the Secretary asked if there was something on paper, the Foreign Minister said it is too early since work is now only in the pre-draft stage. It is hoped that a working draft will be available in about a month and that there will be a final draft before the end of the year. He said that the Greek Government would be sending a committee to the US, France, and the Scandinavian countries to consult with constitutional experts.
The Foreign Minister declared that the Greeks are concerned about the weakening of the security situation in their area. He said that in addition to the threat from the north, Soviet naval forces now in the Mediterranean to the south make the country feel insecure. He mentioned that Greece has a long border—850 miles—with communist territory. He said that he would like to see NATO concentrate not only on the defense of its flanks but also on the interior lines. The Secretary said that there should be no worry in a military sense because of the Soviet naval force. They are in an exposed position, and would go back into the Black Sea if trouble were in the offing. The Foreign Minister agreed that the Soviet naval force was more serious from a political than from a military aspect.
The Foreign Minister declared that Greece wanted to be helped by its friends. The Secretary said that the Greek regime caused a big problem in US, and our whole aid bill is having difficult passage in Congress as a result. The Secretary explained that the President and the Executive [Page 642] branch of our government get no money at all to spend that is not authorized by the Congress. The King’s visit and his discussions with members of Congress helped, but we will not know for a while what funds will be authorized. Perhaps we will have more of an idea in two weeks or so.
The Foreign Minister said that the Greek leaders are not ambitious. They are patriotic men who want to see Greece out of the mess it is in. The Foreign Minister said that he is afraid they would become desperate when Greece’s friends do not show an understanding attitude. He pointed out that Greece had voted with the United States yesterday in the debate in the General Assembly on the question of defining aggression. Turkey and Cyprus had abstained in the vote.
The Secretary said that the Greek coup d’etat was the sixty-fourth to occur in the world since he became Secretary of State. He observed that there had been no prior consultation with us, and the coup had created serious problems for us. While we recognize that the matter is an internal one for Greece, it does cause the US problems. The Secretary said that we are friends and allies, and both of us would like to see our relations improve, but it will take time.
The Foreign Minister remarked that he and Ambassador Palamas continue to have hope, and that is why they are serving this government. The Secretary replied that we take note of the fact that men like the Minister and the Ambassador are in the Greek Government and draw encouragement from this fact. The Foreign Minister mentioned that he and others are fighting to keep Greece in NATO. He asked why there was so much criticism against Greece and not Portugal. The Secretary answered that probably people expect more of Greece.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL GREECE–US. Confidential. Drafted by Stein and approved in S on October 2. The meeting was held in the Secretary’s office in the U.S. Mission. Memoranda of other portions of this conversation dealing with Cyprus and Vietnam are ibid., Conference Files: Lot 68 D 453, CF 216.↩