868.00/3–1547
The British Embassy to the Department of State
Ref: G58/—/47
Aide-Mémoire
His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom consider it most important that they should at once inform the Greek Government of their proposals for bridging the gap between the 31st March and the date when American assistance becomes effective.
2. His Majesty’s Government propose to modify in some degree the communication outlined in paragraph 6 of His Majesty’s Embassy’s Aide-Mémoire of March 4th. They now propose to inform the Greek Government that they can go ahead with the reorganisation of the [Page 120] Greek forces on the line proposed by the Chiefs of Staff, involving expenditure at the rate of two million pounds sterling a month. For that purpose His Majesty’s Government had already agreed to provide free of charge two million pounds sterling on “account of equipment and they would now in addition make available one million pounds sterling on the assumption that the interim period will cover the first half of April. This one million pounds would be released from the Angellopoulos monies in London and it should be part of the arrangement that the Greek Government agree to this.
3. His Majesty’s Government hope that the United States Government will agree to a communication on these lines being made to the Greek Government forthwith. They will realise that time is short before the expiry of the British commitment on the 31st March.