868.01/593: Telegram
The Ambassador to the Greek Government in Exile (MacVeagh) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 14—10:48 a.m.]
Greek Series 191. The new Greek Cabinet met for the first time yesterday (see my Greek Series 187 of June 8).88 Following the meeting Mr. Papandreou issued a declaration which, according to the official release, was enthusiastically endorsed by all the members of the Council, to the effect that it is the Government’s view that the King should not return to Greece before the plebiscite, and stating that the King, in accepting a government which he knew would hold this view, had thereby indicated his agreement with it.
According to Mr. Papandreou, whom I saw this morning, he talked with the King both before and after the Cabinet meeting and obtained his consent to the issuance of this statement, telling him that otherwise the Government would have to resign. He said that he had pointed out that it was necessary to settle this vexed question definitely in order to deprive EAM of a weapon which it has been using to sabotage the work of the Lebanon Conference (see my Greek Series 183 of June 6) and also that it was advisable from the King’s own point of view to appear to support rather than obstruct national unity. The full text of the declaration is being transmitted in my immediately following telegram.89
Mr. Papandreou further said to me that now that he has “disarmed EAM”, he is in a position to “attack” it, should it continue to refuse to collaborate, and later in the day, he told journalists that “I shall wait a few days [apparent omission] the nation, because the nation must know on whom the responsibility rests”.
Repeated to Algiers for Murphy as number 9.