Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950, The Near East, South Asia, and Africa, Volume V

Athens Embassy Files: Lot 58F6: Box 45: 500 ECA

The Chief of the Economic Cooperation Administration Mission to Greece (Lapham)¹ to the Prime Minister of Greece (Venizelos)²

Athens, November 21, 1950.

Excellency: I have for acknowledgment your letter to Mr. Porter of October 30, 1950,³ which is in response to Mr. Porter’s letter of 27 September⁴ to your Excellency on the subject of the more effective utilization of American aid to Greece.

Your Excellency’s letter reviews, in order, each of the points raised in the Mission’s letter to the Government and expresses the affirmative attitude of the Government with respect to each proposal made by the Mission.

I welcome your Excellency’s assurances that the Government is prepared to take action in the areas recommended by the Mission. I am particularly pleased to note that the previous government headed by your Excellency had already moved to enact into legislation many proposals which the Government felt were necessary for the proper utilization of American assistance.

As your Excellency is aware, many of these proposals have been under discussion for months and the Mission has been impressed by the decision of the Government to take final action with respect to them. I understand that these measures were enacted as Emergency Laws; I welcomed the assurance recently given by your Excellency that the Government proposes to secure speedy ratification of these Laws by the Parliament in order to complete the necessary legal action.

While the Mission has not had an opportunity to review the final text of the Laws proposed and enacted by the Government and published in the Government Gazette, I am sure that the successful implementation of the measures agreed upon by the Government in your Excellency’s letter will go a long ways toward assuring the effective and maximum utilization of American assistance; I believe it will also counterbalance the reduction in American aid which the Mission felt compelled to recommend, as indicated by Mr. Porter’s letter of September 27.

Accept [etc.]

Roger D. Lapham

1. Roger D. Lapham assumed responsibility as Chief of the ECA Mission to Greece, on November 18, the date of departure from Athens of Paul R. Porter who was formerly in charge.
2. A copy of this letter was also transmitted to George Papandreou, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister Without Portfolio, and provisional Minister of Coordination.
3. Not found in Department of State files.
4. Not found in Department of State files, but see report for September, p. 426.