Greece - US Department of State

808 Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, Volume XXIX
urging him to see Rowland Evans, the columnist, and Tasca had been
decent to him only to have Evans write in the most derogatory fashion.
Tasca said that he had become a political target and he had to have
the support of the people here in Washington. He noted that the exiled
Greek journalist, Elias Demetracopoulos, was orchestrating a campaign
against him. Demetracopoulos had told him (Tasca) he would get the
Ambassador out of Greece.
Dr. Kissinger, again with emotion, said that there is no question of
Tasca’s being pulled out of Greece. Of course, we want constitutional
rule in Greece, but it is “indecent to suck around Sadat” and then to
beat the Greeks over the head.
Ambassador Tasca said that the Greek government had let 2,500
people out of jail during the year, and there is now considerable freedom
of the press. He noted that the press had printed the Moose–
Lowenstein report. 3
Dr. Kissinger at that point said that he had to go to another meeting.
But he assured Ambassador Tasca that it was not the US policy to
give the Greek government a hard time.
3 See Document 303.
322. Memorandum of Conversation 1
Washington, August 6, 1971, 10 a.m.
SUBJECT
Deputy Secretary of Defense Meeting with Ambassador Tasca
PARTICIPANTS
Department of State
United States Ambassador to Greece—Ambassador Tasca
Department of Defense
Deputy Secretary of Defense—David Packard
Director, NESA Region—Brigadier General Devol Brett, USAF
Country Director, NESA Region—Mr. Charles W. Quinn
1 Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OASD/ISA Subject Files:
FRC 330 75–157, GR–7 Greece. Confidential. The meeting took place in the Pentagon.
Drafted by Quinn and approved by Brett.