781.00/8–2851: Telegram
The Ambassador in Greece (Peurifoy) to the Department of State
981. I met privately with Papagos and Kanellopoulos yesterday at their request. Marshal seemed serenely confident and in excellent condition both physically and mentally.
Papagos said that he was disturbed by King’s continued failure to relinquish position of C-in-C as he feared that if this were not done [Page 504] prior to elections there wld be considerable embarrassment for all concerned.
Once he controls new Parl, as Papagos said, he can of course strip monarch of all mil auth, but to do this Marshal feels wld be generally regarded as anti-monarchical move and it is certainly one he wld be most reluctant to make. However, Papagos is determined to punish Gen Tsakalotos for what he considers his intensive partisan pol activities, particularly for his “fabricated memo” which misrepresented situation completely (Embtel 870 August 21).1 Papagos said that he had not decided whether to have Tsakalotos court martialed or simply retired without fanfare.
I mentioned fact that it was Papagos himself, after consultation with Gen Jenkins and me, who switched Tsakalotos from A Corps to Athens. He answered quickly that this was true in a sense, but that he had made Tsakalotos Inspector Gen and not chief of army staff. Tsakalotos, he added, was an able fighting man, but he had proved himself to be without character. Further he was not intelligent and it was obvious that his recent pol antics had been planned for him by palace circles which had no doubt promised him eventual promotion to chief of National Defense Gen Staff.
Papagos then asked that I seek to persuade Venizelos to use his influence to have King abandon his title as C-in-C. As I was non-comittal here, he added that he had been much pleased with our attitude of strict neutrality in local campaign and with our efforts to stop any faction from resorting to extreme tactics.
Papagos made it clear that when elected (it is never if elected with him) he will not as is popularly rumored seek to disturb King’s household. In fact he maintains that he has never done so, but merely as life long friend told King that several of palace coterie were dangerous men to have about.
Marshal said that Queen had told Eleni Vlachos that if Papagos was elected he wld soon close Kathimerini since as dictator he wld not tolerate press criticism. Papagos asserted he had assured Miss Vlachos as he was now assuring me that he did not approve of and wld never seek to impose dictatorial govt on Greece. He had, he admitted, served under Metaxas but only as soldier of crown, and had never approved of strong arm methods in govt.
To my specific query as to what wld happen to his bitterest critic Eleftheria Papagos answered that he wld cause prompt investigation as to status of funds used for that daily’s support. Personally he has good reason to believe money used to keep Eleftheria functioning through campaign has come from persons close to palace. If these funds were loans, Marshal will see that paper is either forced to pay up or closed with latter alternative strong probability.
[Page 505]When new govt is formed Papagos stated he will be Defense Min as well as PriMin so that he can clear up deteriorated mil situation. He maintains hordes of new civilian employees have been placed in Defense Min in past few weeks and these parasites will have to be cleared out. Once Defense situation is again secure he will turn Defense Min over to some one else. Here Marshal made it crystal clear to Kanellopoulos and to me that no inefficient ministers will be long tolerated in his cabinet.
I told Papagos that while we fully appreciated his ability, integrity and understanding, we had a long standing interest in govt stability in Greece, and we hoped that in his anxiety for improvement he wld not upset applecart. He answered that we cld count on him to collaborate with us on closest possible basis.
I told Marshal we had received reports to effect that if rally2 did not secure absolute majority that he wld resign. He replied that while he wld of course, get majority, these reports were “sheer enemy propaganda”.
In this connection Marshal added that the calumnies of his foes created a terrific temptation for him to set record straight. However, wld not answer the slanders of his enemies. To do so, he declared, might well terminate careers of King and Queen in Greece.
In conclusion, Marshal expressed hope that I wld soon see King again and that if I did so he very much hoped Her Majesty wld be present. The Queen, it was tacitly apparent, he considers his most dangerous opponent.
While I said nothing on this point to Papagos I do not propose to seek another audience, since to do so now might be misconstrued.