868.00/8–2247
The Coordinator for Aid to Greece and Turkey (McGhee) to Governor Dwight P. Griswold, at Athens
My Dear Governor: I attach herewith copy of my letter of August 18, 1947, to the Honorable Clark Clifford, and the excerpt which I furnished from your undated letter received here August 14, 1947,1 apropos of your meeting with the Greek Prime Minister.
Your letter was shown both to Mr. Henderson and to Mr. Lovett, and was discussed thoroughly with them jointly. They were both very interested to have the report of your meeting with the Prime Minister and your views on the position this Government should take relative to change in the composition of the Greek Government. We were concerned, however, that there appeared to be a difference of view between yourself and the Ambassador, and it was this concern which led to the sending of Department telegram No. 1343 to the Embassy, dated August 15, which summarized the attitude of the Department toward this problem and requested that the Ambassador and you give the Department a joint statement of your views, showing clearly what differences, if any, existed.
I think you will agree that, insofar as possible, it is highly desirable that you and the Ambassador get together and discuss thoroughly any political questions of this nature and attempt to arrive at as large an area of agreement as you can. It is expected, however, that you will continue to advise the Department of your views and of any differences between yourself and the Ambassador on such questions.
In transmitting your letter to Mr. Clifford I took the liberty, in the light of the discussions in the Department, of omitting three sentences which indicate your disagreement with the Ambassador. It seemed unwise to elevate an issue between yourself and the Ambassador to [Page 307] the Presidential level, until there was an opportunity for the Department to get a precise statement of your and the Ambassador’s views, and to effect a reconciliation if at all possible. I hope that this action meets with your approval, since I have every desire to conform to your wishes in such matters.
Sincerely yours,