Office of the Historian

68. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft) to President Ford1

Washington, undated.

SUBJECT

  • Status of US-Greek Defense Cooperation Negotiations

When the Greek base negotiations resumed in Athens on September 1, three basic documents were virtually complete—the Defense Cooperation Agreement text, the Status of Forces Agreement and the Command and Control appendix. Negotiations on the supplementary documents had reached an advanced stage, but issues which we had considered resolved have now been reopened by the Greek side.

Based on sensitive reports from sources close to Greek Prime Minister Caramanlis, we believe that the Greeks have been stalling to prevent progress in Congressional passage to the Turkish Defense Cooperation Agreement. They have been successful in this. While hearings on the Turkish DCA were finally held on September 15 by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, further Congressional action this year is unlikely. Additionally, sensitive sources indicate that Caramanlis is stalling until after the U.S. elections.

The State Department reports that the following specific problems are holding up progress in the negotiations:

  • —[1 line not declassified];
  • —disagreement over cost estimates for construction by the U.S. of Greek communication facilities;
  • —Greek insistence on limiting U.S. air operations at Hellenikon; and
  • —a Greek reversal concerning a U.S. proposed periodic review provision for the use of Souda Bay.

U.S. negotiators believe it is unlikely that this issue will be satisfactorily resolved before the end of the month.

  1. Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Presidential Country Files for Middle East and South Asia, Box 10, Greece 6. Secret; Sensitive. Sent for information.↩