FEBRUARY 6, 1952
THE ALLIED FACTOR: According to a senior allied official, the situation in Greece’s armed forces and the replacement (by the Plastiras government of the army general inspector) of General Kitrilakis, will have serious repercussions on the Greek government’s relations with the American Military Mission and the British Embassy, and may even cause insurmountable difficulties for Greece’s entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. (…) The Americans believe that the action by the defense minister, and palace favorite, Admiral Sakellariou, against a leading military officer whose friendly relations with the Pentagon’s representatives in Greece were well-known, was a provocation. (…) According to a reliable American source, the US Charge d’Affairs (Ed. note: Ambassador Peurifoy was absent in the USA) particularly wanted to meet with the king, given that the appointment of a non-deputy as defense minister was made at the palace’s recommendation and because Mr Sakellariou has let it be known that his actions have the personal approval of the king. THESSALONIKI TRAM: The government and the American mission have decided to do away with the tram lines in Thessaloniki (…) after a deficit last year of 9.5 billion drachmas, an amount which was not only paid for by the passengers but also pushed up electricity bills in the city. SOFIA – Six Bulgarian medical workers accused of infecting hundreds of Libyan children with the AIDS virus have been released from prison into house arrest, the Foreign Ministry in Sofia said yesterday. In a statement faxed to The Associated Press, the ministry said the six Bulgarians – five nurses and a doctor – were moved from a Tripoli prison to a house under guard Monday. The six have been in custody since early 1999. Prosecutors say the seven injected 393 children at Al-Fateh hospital in Benghazi with HIV-contaminated blood. (AP)
