May 28, 1953
JOHN FOSTER DULLES: The arrival in Athens of the US secretary of state, Mr John Foster Dulles, and the leader of the Mutual Security Agency, Mr Harold Stassen, has provided the Greek government with the opportunity to discuss broader political, military and economic questions and to expand on issues recently discussed in Washington by the minister for coordination, Mr Spyros Markezinis. The American officials’ meetings, both with the prime minister (Alexandros Papagos) and then at the Foreign Ministry with Mr Stefanos Stephanopoulos, were, according to our sources, of decisive importance in clarifying certain issues of major significance to the country. IONIAN-POPULAR BANK MERGER: At a meeting of the shareholders of the Popular Bank, there was a majority decision to change the nationality of the bank and to merge it with the Ionian Bank, as well as to buy any Popular Bank shares that are in the hands of Greek shareholders for the price of 500,000 drachmas each. Only 17 percent of the shares are in Greek hands. The remainder belong to the Ionian Bank, which is a British company. PAPANDREOU STATEMENT: The co-leader of the Liberal Party, Mr George Papandreou, said in Parliament on May 18 that the new US dollar exchange rate of 30,000 drachmas was too high. ANGELOS S. VLACHOS: New books: «My Lord Alkibiades,» by Angelos S. Vlachos.
