357.AE/2–350
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Deputy Under Secretary of State (Rusk)
Subject: Future Activities of UNSCOB.
| Participants: | Dean Rusk, Deputy Under Secretary of State |
| Jefferson Patterson, Newly Appointed United States Representative to UNSCOB | |
| Harding F. Bancroft, Office of United Nations Political and Security Affairs1 | |
| Leonard J. Cromie, Greek Affairs2 |
Mr. Patterson called at 4:00 p. m. by appointment at his request prior to his departure for Athens to take up his duties as the new United States Representative on UNSCOB.
In wishing Mr. Patterson success in his new assignment, I pointed out that UNSCOB has been a complicated operation but a fruitful one. It has, for example, been the impression of our Missions at Athens that it has served as a “padding” between Greece and her northern neighbors.
While the Soviets appear to have withdrawn guerrilla pressure from Greece, it will be most important for the observers to increase rather than relax their vigilance and remain alert for any reports on the movements or positioning of the guerrillas in adjacent countries or other developments which might indicate Soviet intentions regarding the resumption of guerrilla operations against Greece or in other areas such as Yugoslavia or Germany. Despite the guerrilla withdrawal, the Soviets may well regard their Greek venture as a profitable one, since it caused, at slight cost to the Soviets, considerable American expenditures and involvement in an area of secondary strategic significance to the United States.…
In reply to my question as to whether the interruption of diplomatic relations between the United States and Bulgaria would have any effect on UNSCOB or Greek relations with Bulgaria, Mr. Patterson answered that these relations could hardly be worse and that Bulgaria, according to latest intelligence reports, was still permitting small guerrilla bands to cross the Greek border. Mr. Bancroft concurred and pointed out that there will still be some western diplomatic representatives at Sofia through whom contact could, if desired, [Page 340] be effected between UNSCOB or the Greeks and the Bulgarian authorities.
At the conclusion of our interview, I asked Mr. Patterson to maintain contact with the Department and to let us know if we can be helpful in any way to him. Mr. Patterson expressed his appreciation of the cooperation already extended by the Department and his feeling that his consultations here had been helpful and would enable him correctly to interpret and carry out United States policy with respect to UNSCOB.