868.01/567: Telegram
The Ambassador to the Greek Government in Exile (MacVeagh) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 23—9:02 a.m.]
Greek 166. My Greek 163, May 20, 5 p.m. The Lebanon Conference closed on Saturday and Mr. Papandreou returned to Cairo yesterday. He is seeing the King today to report on the work of the Conference and to submit his resignation. The British Embassy believes the King will ask him to form the new government presumably from among the 24 delegates all of whom are expected here by tonight. The official releases from the Lebanon have given no indication that the composition of the new government was discussed although it [Page 111] had been understood that that was the whole purpose of the Conference but agreement on the question may have been reached by the delegates privately.
The speeches of the opening days of the Conference reported in my Greek 164, May 20, 6 p.m.,65 were followed by others along the same general lines. The defense of EAM/ELAS66 by several of their delegates was spirited and at the request of Porphyrogennis it was agreed that a committee should be set up to investigate the charges against EAM and the Communist Party.
The Conference ended in a cordial and somewhat emotional atmosphere after the delegates had unanimously accepted and signed the national unity program originally advanced by Papandreou soon after he became Premier, my 138, April 28.67
Repeated Algiers for Murphy.