Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XVI, Cyprus; Greece; Turkey

375. Letter From the Ambassador to Greece (Talbot) to the Country Director for Greece (Brewster)¹

Athens, December 31, 1968.

Dear Dan:

My talk with Papadopoulos on December 28 was disappointing. So that you could get the full flavor, we decided to airgram Pete Peterson’s full memcon rather than reducing it to more readable length.² If you can plow through it, you will see that the Prime Minister argued strongly for military assistance levels to be judged on military grounds alone and virtually rejected my rather lengthy disquisition in support of the proposition that other factors have also to be taken into account even when military considerations are predominant.

I found the Prime Minister less forthcoming about his future plans than on any previous occasion. My effort to launch into a discussion of his plans for moderating the state of siege was turned aside by the comment that there was really nothing more to be said beyond his public address of December 14.³ He was polite but firm in stating that he would be ready to discuss his future plans with me after the holidays if I desired but would regret it if such a discussion were really necessary to assure good relations between Greece and the United States.

I am not sure how to read this stiffening stance. One explanation is that Papadopoulos feels sufficiently secure in the saddle so that he can be a little more cavalier with us as well as with European countries. Another is that he has decided to get a reading on the new American Administration before defining his 1969 policies on civil liberties and constitutional implementation. If he has decided on a major forward step, he may prefer to hold it until its announcement could be expected to get him off on a good start with the new American Administration. Alternatively, he may have decided not to take any steps now that might prove not to have been necessary should the new Administration be substantially more relaxed than the old one in its attitude toward the Greek regime.

My own hunch is that his unforthcomingness resulted from a combination of these factors. It would be natural for him to regard the present American Administration, and its representative in Athens, as lame ducks and to hold off decisive moves until he can get a reading on the new Administration.⁴

If from your distance you have more illuminating insights, I shall be glad to know them.

With best wishes,

Yours sincerely,

Phil

1. Source: Department of State, Greek Desk Files: Lot 71 D 6, Correspondence to and from Athens. Secret; Official-Informal.
2. Transmitted as an enclosure to airgram A–2 from Athens, January 1, 1969. (Ibid., Central Files, POL GREECE–US)
3. The Embassy analyzed this speech in telegram 8308 from Athens, December 16. (Ibid., POL 15–1 GREECE)
4. In a December 27 letter to Brewster, Talbot reported that he had submitted his resignation effective January 20, 1969. (Ibid., Greek Desk Files: Lot 71 D 6, Correspondence to and from Athens)