875.00/10–2345: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received 8:40 p.m.]
11105. Following comments from Jacobs:
“I agree with Foreign Office Observation (mytel 11079 October 23 to Department; repeated Moscow as 362) that elections in Albania will not be ‘democratic’ in the same sense understood in the US and Great Britain, but I believe they will be more democratic in that sense than any elections ever hitherto held in Albania. I also agree that our request for assurances should not be phrased in such a way as to imply that we shall react if the assurances are not exactly fulfilled, which I believe is already Department’s view.
With regard to Foreign Office proposal concerning Greek territorial claims, my view is that except possibly for some very minor adjustments of the 1939 Albanian-Greek frontier, Greece has no valid claim to territory now held by Albania. These same Greek claims have already been decided against her by international agencies several times in the past and another impartial adjudication now or later can hardly be expected to do more than recommend minor adjustments of no great consequence. Accordingly, I see no need for the US to be overly sensitive to these Greek claims. We should be more concerned in gaining the goodwill of the Albanian people and the regime we propose to recognize, some of which we shall assuredly lose if we follow the Foreign Office suggestion. If the Department feels that the US Government should tell the Greek Government anything, or make a public statement, I would suggest something along the lines indicated in penultimate paragraph of Dunn’s 10434, October 6, to effect that all questions of an international character, such as those involving boundaries fall within purview of the general peace settlement. If Foreign Office wishes to say more to Greek Government or publicly, let it do so alone.
Dunn concurs fully in foregoing.
As stated in London’s 10616, October 11,46 I am proceeding to Switzerland for 10 days’ leave before going on to Naples. If Department has any instructions for me in interim I can be reached through Legation at Bern. If necessary, I can communicate with Embassy, London by telephone.”
Sent to Department as 11105; repeated Moscow as 363.
- Not printed.↩