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  4. Document 33

33. National Security Study Memorandum 2151

Washington, January 16, 1975.

TO

  • The Secretary of Defense
  • The Deputy Secretary of State
  • The Director of Central Intelligence

SUBJECT

  • U.S. Security Policy Toward Greece

The President has directed that a comprehensive review of U.S. security policy toward Greece be undertaken. The study should identify U.S. interests, including those interests as they relate to NATO, and offer recommendations for U.S. policy aimed at their protection, particularly in the context of future U.S.-Greek negotiations on U.S. bases and facilities. The study should take into account such factors as:

  • —The nature of the U.S. military presence in Greece, and its relationship to specific U.S. security interests;
  • —The relative priority of U.S. bases and facilities in terms of their contributions to U.S. and NATO security;
  • —Homeporting, including the impact of termination on U.S.-Greek and Greek-NATO defense arrangements;
  • —Greek objectives regarding the U.S. presence in the country and specific U.S.-Greek bilateral agreements;
  • —[less than 1 line not declassified];
  • —Greece’s needs for economic and military assistance and possible U.S. initiatives to satisfy those needs;
  • —The impact of a resolution of the Cyprus crisis on U.S.-Greek relations;
  • —The impact of U.S.-Greek bases and facilities negotiations on overall Greek-NATO defense arrangements.

The President has directed that the study be undertaken by an NSC inter-agency group comprising representatives of the addressees of this memorandum and a representative of the NSC staff and under the [Page 126] chairmanship of the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. The study should be forwarded no later than February 7, 1975 for consideration by the Senior Review Group.

Henry A. Kissinger
  1. Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box CL 316, National Security Council, NSSMs. Secret. A copy was sent to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The proposal for a NSSM on policy toward Greecehad first been suggested in June 1973. See Document 3. After several attempts at a draft, the need for a NSSM was deemed “OBE” on December 13, 1973, in the weeks after the internal coup in Greece. The drafts are in the National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1335, NSC Unfiled Material, 1973.↩