May 21, 1953
DATA PROTECTION: The minister for coordination, Mr Emmanouil Tsouderos, yesterday made the following statements: «The leader of the Liberals, Mr George Papandreou, is insisting that the (Papagos) government table in Parliament the minutes of the Monetary Committee meeting and that it include the names of the merchants and industrialists who received credit during February, March and the first half of April. The government (…) has suggested instead (…) that it let party leaders read (…) the text in question so that they may learn the names of those who have received credit. If there are any unjustified payments among them, then these cases would be reviewed in Parliament. A public announcement of all the names would give rise to discussions (…) of an anti-social, propagandist nature, solely for the purpose of inciting the people (…).» GEORGE PAPANDREOU: Mr George Papandreou made the following comments in response to Mr Tsouderos’s statements: «(…) These are not, after all, state secrets whose release could put national security at risk. These are loans, granted not by a commercial bank but by the Monetary Committee on which Cabinet ministers serve and make decisions (…). This raises the question of why details of loans granted under the Marshall Plan are published (…). Can’t the same thing be done with the Monetary Committee loans?» Mr Tsouderos, having been informed of Mr Papandreou’s statements, said the case was closed.
