Greece - US Department of State

792 Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, Volume XXIX
27. Over time, the junta will probably seek to increase at least the
appearance of greater popular support. To this end it might ordain the
establishment of one or more political parties, perhaps including a putative
opposition one. It may permit the election of a new parliament.
Such measures would offer many advantages; Papadopoulos could
hope, in so doing, actually to broaden his base of public backing at
home and to spike the guns of his critics abroad.
28. But such measures would more likely be tokens of the government’s
good intentions than an actual turnover of power to a civilian
government. Thus any new political parties would probably be
tame affairs, manned by politicians pledged to the continuation of the
“revolution” and to the primacy of the colonels. Similarly a new parliament
would probably be designed to provide the regime with little
more than a constitutional facade.
29. Another kind of move—less likely—would be to seek some
kind of rapprochement with exiled King Constantine, even allowing
him to return. The King is, to the regime, a known and distrusted quantity.
The junta seized power without his prior knowledge and against
his wishes. After several months of wary coexistence, the King (who
had formerly played a very active political role in his own right and
who would probably seek to do so again) tried to throw them out; his
counter-coup failed and he was exiled, though Greece officially remains
a monarchy. Whatever Constantine were to promise as a price for his
return, in the junta’s mind there would always be a danger that he
would begin demanding a truly free press or elections, or start soliciting
support from civilians and military men of prominence. This would
pose a real threat, a fact which makes his return at the regime’s behest
doubtful. 4
30. In any case, the leaders will probably be guided in their decisions
principally by concern for their continued tenure in office. While
taking any number of measures to enhance their public image or to
pursue specific political or economic policies, they will be highly unlikely,
on their own, to do anything which they thought could lead to
their loss of ultimate authority over Greek political life.
4 The 1968 constitution provides for the monarch’s return after elections are held.
A possible resolution of the problem would be the deposition of Constantine and the
recognition of his young son as King. [Footnote in the original.]