Greece - US Department of State

764 Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, Volume XXIX
304. Letter From Director of Central Intelligence Helms to the
President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs
(Kissinger) 1
Washington, March 1, 1971.
Dear Henry:
On 24 February 1971, we received [11 ⁄2 lines not declassified] a report
credited to a reliable source and reflecting comments in mid-December
1970 by General Angelis following his conversation with the President
in Naples last fall. 2 General Angelis told our source, [less than 1
line not declassified] that the Greek regime would probably make certain
“cosmetic” gestures toward greater democratization but that they
were not about to introduce basic changes that could result in loss of
control. This would be true even in the absence of foreign pressures.
In this latter connection, General Angelis said that he did not anticipate
pressure from the U.S. Government. He based this view on his
conversation with the President last fall, saying that Mr. Nixon had made
a special point of seeing Angelis and had told him emphatically that the
important thing was that the Greeks had twelve divisions in NATO.
General Angelis seemed not to be concerned about Greek developments
but rather about the mood prevailing in Europe and in some
degree in the U.S. He deplored a spirit of indecisiveness and of turning
to the left.
[less than 1 line not declassified] comments that the President’s meeting
with General Angelis has been a remarkably well kept secret, although
it is likely that General Angelis’ report along the above lines
may well have been accepted within the inner circle of the regime as
the last word on U.S. policy. Our representative suggests that this
should be considered in any estimate of the probable effect on the Greek
Government of various courses of action the U.S. might follow in pressing
for an early return to parliamentary government.
I am making no other dissemination of this information.
Cordially,
Richard Helms 3
1 Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Job 78–07173A, Records of the Office of the
Deputy Director for Operations, Box 1, Folder 8. Secret; Sensitive. Drafted by
Karamessines on February 27.
2 The report was not found. Nixon and Angelis met during Nixon’s September
29–30, 1970, visit to NATO headquarters in Naples. No record of the conversation was
found. 3 Printed from a copy that indicates Helms signed the original.