868.00/12–2647
The British Embassy to the Department of State
Ref: G58/—/47
Aide-Mémoire
Just before the proclamation of General Marcos’s Government, His Majesty’s Ambassador in Athens asked Monsieur Tsaldaris for his views on reports which were circulating on this subject.
2. Monsieur Tsaldaris said that, as he saw it, there were two stages. First, the announcement of such a government and second, its recognition by a foreign power, or powers, which might be Albania and Bulgaria to start with. While the first stage was a threat of aggression, the second was an act of aggression and Greece would have the right to bring it before the United Nations under Article 51. If the United States and Great Britain, without whose support Greece would not take any action, did not wish to see the second stage reached, he wondered if the United States could not take the opportunity afforded by the first stage of sending 5000 or 10,000 troops to befriend Greece, coupled with a strong warning to the Slav bloc. Such a step would greatly assist Greece in dealing with the bandits and indeed if American troops were on the frontier he thought the Greek problem would be solved and that he would be saved the painful necessity of making continued requests to the United States for more money and more material.
3. Monsieur Tsaldaris added that the Greek Ambassadors in Washington and London had been instructed to place these views before the State Department and the Foreign Office.
[Page 470]4. The Greek Ambassador in London duly called on the Permanent Under-Secretary of State and spoke on the lines indicated above. He did not, however, mention the possibility of a request to the United States Government for the dispatch of American troops to Greece.
5. Mr. Bevin considers the formation of General Marcos’s Government to be a serious development, the implications of which are being studied with all urgency. Lord Inverchapel expects to receive further instructions on the subject very shortly. He has meanwhile been asked to ascertain the reactions of the United States Government to this development.
6. An interim reply to the Greek Ambassador in London has been handed to him in the terms shown in the enclosure to this Aide-Mémoire As will be seen, this stresses the importance of absolute solidarity being shown by all anti-Communist parties and personalities in Greece. His Majesty’s Ambassador in Athens has been instructed to take a similar line at every opportunity keeping his United States colleague informed.