840.50 UNRRA/3–1445: Telegram
The Ambassador in Greece (MacVeagh) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 15—4:33 p.m.]
264. See my telegram No. 259, March 12, 5 p.m. Since ML is to turn over to UNRRA on April 1 the problem arises here with some urgency as to the disposal to be made of the economic and financial advisers detailed by the British and American Embassies to the ML Advisory Committee. My British colleague tells me he is waiting for word from London in this connection but that he personally feels that his advisers should remain after April 1 attached to his Embassy for the purpose of advising the Greek Government if the latter so desires. He also feels that the joint committee method of advising ML has worked so satisfactorily that a similar procedure might be adopted in connection with the Government from April 1st onward.
It will not escape the Department that to advise a foreign government is a very different thing from advising an Anglo-American organization such as the ML and before deciding on its course in this matter it will doubtless wish to consider whether it desires to share with the British (already deeply involved in internal Greek affairs) the responsibility for the success or failure of a Greek reconstruction program which cannot fail to become involved in local politics. Should the decision be to start newly (for us) in such responsibility here I believe that the departure from our former policy [Page 203] will be less sharp and apparent the more informally it is effected while our resulting tie-up with any particular Greek Government in the coming months will present less possibilities of embarrassment if our advice is given independently and occasionally as asked for and not in joint committee sitting regularly at the right hand of authority. Our advisers could keep in contact with their British counterparts without forming any special body with them. Hill may not wish to remain much longer94 but while his services to date have been most valuable his functions after April 1st would perhaps be more appropriately performed by the Economic Counselor, the Greek Government taking over on that date all supply problems outside the jurisdiction of UNRRA. On the other hand even if the Department’s decision is not to take on the responsibility of advising the Greek Government, Treasury Representative Patterson could still be useful here in connection with financial reporting and I hope he will stay.95