868.24/97
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Controls (Green) to the Chief of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs (Murray)
In the course of a telephone conversation late yesterday afternoon with Mr. Philip Young, Assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury and Chairman of the President’s Liaison Committee, Mr. Young referred to our conversation on November 6 in regard to the desire of the Greek Government to purchase arms in this country.
I told Mr. Young that I had not seen the Greek Minister as yet, but that, as soon as the Minister called, I would send Mr. Young full information in regard to my conversation and in regard to the desires of the Greek Government.
Mr. Young told me that Mr. Purvis, Chief of the British Purchasing Commission, had called on him during the day and had informed him that he had just received a telegram from London in regard to this matter. Mr. Purvis said that the military authorities in London were canvassing the situation with a view to furnishing the Greeks with such arms as they could spare. Mr. Purvis said that his Government hoped that this Government would not make any commitments to furnish arms to the Greeks until the British Government had had an opportunity to ascertain what deliveries it could make to the Greeks from supplies now in its hands. If, after the [Page 585] British had delivered arms to the Greeks, the Greek Government still desired to obtain arms in this country, the British Government hoped that arrangements could be made whereby the British Purchasing Commission would be charged with making purchases on behalf of the Greeks.
I told Mr. Young that, when I saw the Greek Minister, I would suggest to the Minister that he call on him, and that, when the Minister called, he would have an opportunity to make the necessary suggestions to the Minister.
Mr. Young said that it was his understanding that the Greek Minister had already had some conversations with the British Purchasing Commission, had been informed of what the British were doing and were proposing to do for his Government, arid had entered into some sort of tentative arrangement with the Commission.