501.BC Greece/2–1747: Telegram
Mr. Mark F. Ethridge to the Secretary of State
227. Ethridge No. 15. For Secretary and Austin from Ethridge. Commission moves to Salonika this week with first meeting there Friday. This highly desirable objective attained only after Soviets and Poles helped by their satellite liaison officers had exhausted every means of stalling and after I had spent three hours with Lavrischev1 in which he advanced every argument for staying in Athens. Believe he gave in only after it had become apparent to him that I would force vote in Commission which he realized would be 9 to 2.
Soviet tactics here have been to stall work of Commission and delay as long as possible drafting of proposals invited in last paragraph of SC resolution. Yugoslavia [Yugoslav?] had to be roped and tied down to force him to finish his statement. On one occasion he read for 35 minutes and said he had finished for day. He pleaded necessity for further preparation, sore throat and everything else he could think of to secure delay.
Feverish Soviet desire to stay in Athens comes from two things. One is propaganda value involved in taking advantage of free Greek press to belabor Greek Government. Other is much more serious. I am convinced and conviction is shared by other members of Commission that Soviets feel that Greece is ripe plum ready to fall into their hands in a few weeks. Secretary’s statement aroused great interest in Commission but three Commissioners have asked me how we proposed implement it.
My own view from what I have seen in Comm and what I have learned through British and American political, economic and military sources is that Soviets have every good reason to feel that Greece may be about to fall. Army enlistments are down, army desertions up [Page 821] with two detachments going over to guerrillas in last three days, army morale at lowest possible. Military maps show that area which Government has lost is growing. Communist membership and boldness increasing while Greek Government steadily losing popular confidence through ineffectually. These factors combined with complete confidence expressed by Yugo liaison officer in statement to newspaper man “we have iron nerves and we will hold on. This situation will be cleared up in a little while” convince me that border problems may be solved by default before Commission gets a chance to propose anything. How fully Ambassador MacVeagh shares this view may be seen from his telegram 196 February 11.2
[Here follows further comment.]