Office of the Historian

868.00/8–1345

Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. William O. Baxter of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs

[Washington,] August 13, 1945.

Mr. Tandy of the British Embassy called this afternoon at his request in order to discuss two telegrams from the British Foreign Office requesting the views of the Department on questions relating to the proposed Allied supervision of elections in Greece. This matter was considered urgent as Mr. Bevin has indicated that he wishes if possible to include some statement on Greece when he addresses Parliament on August 16.

I told Mr. Tandy that the Department had no objection to discussing informally with the Greek Regent the possibility that the terms of the Varkiza Agreement be modified to allow the elections to precede a plebiscite provided that the initiative for such modification is undertaken by the Greek Government itself. I also suggested that since the proposed supervision is to be tripartite, the French Ambassador in Athens should be asked to concert with the British and American Ambassadors in their informal talk with the Regent.

The proposed British text for public announcement concerning Greek elections is completely acceptable to the Department, which proposes that the simultaneous public statements in London, Athens, Paris, and Washington should agree in fundamentals but need not be worded identically. It is of course understood that the Soviet Government will be informed at least a day in advance of our proposed action.

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The Department also has no objection to the possible inclusion of Dominion representatives in the British supervisory delegation.

The Department is in agreement with the British Foreign Office that it would be preferable for Allied supervision to be exercised both in the elections and in the plebiscite. However, the timing of the plebiscite, if it should not follow the elections closely, raises some questions concerning the length of time for which American personnel is available. I told Mr. Tandy that it is impossible at this time to give him a definite answer on this question but that the possibilities would be explored at once.