36. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Ford1
Washington, February 27, 1975.
SUBJECT
- Greek Bases Negotiations
The opening round of the U.S.-Greece bases negotiations was held in Athens during the week of February 10–14. The highlights of this first round are as follows:
- —The Greek side defined three broad objectives for the negotiations: 1) to reduce—but not eliminate—the American military profile in Greece; 2) to up-date, consolidate and tighten existing bilateral defense arrangements; and 3) to monitor and control more directly U.S. military activities in Greece.
- —[2 lines not declassified]
- —The U.S. negotiating team maintained a “listening brief” in order to elicit initial Greek views. The U.S. side pointed out the important [Page 134] role that U.S. bases and facilities on Greek soil play in the defense of NATO and Greece.
- —Embassy Athens evaluated the Greeks position as sufficiently forthcoming to provide for “an eventual conclusion—satisfactory to both sides,” although the talks are likely to be protracted and hard.
- —The Greek team also made clear their need to conclude the negotiations in the form of “bilateral cooperation agreement, defining joint defense installations to remain in Greece … (to) be submitted to the vote of the Parliament.”
The talks are currently in recess and are tentatively scheduled to reconvene in mid March.
- Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Presidential Country Files for Middle East and South Asia, Box 10, Greece 2. Secret. Sent for information. Ford initialed the memorandum, indicating that he saw it.↩