May 17-20, 1952
VIENNA EMBASSY: Paris, 16 – According to a report from Vienna, during today’s meeting of the quadripartite Allied Council, there was a discussion of the March 31 attack (Ed. note: Regarding the Beloyiannis case) on the Greek Embassy, next to the Russian sector of the city, and the looting of it by 3,000 communist demonstrators. The US ambassador had assigned 40 police officers to take up positions near the Greek Embassy before the demonstration, but they were sent back their barracks by order of the Russian command. In addition, 2,000 communist demonstrators were transported to the embassy in Russian trucks. The Russian authorities repeatedly refused to allow the police chief to call in reinforcements. CYPRUS ISSUE AND THE USA: (From a commentary in Kathimerini) – Well-meaning, or perhaps superficially naive people tend to present the move to unite Cyprus with Greece as a threat to the organization of defense plans for the Mediterranean, even to relations between the USA and Great Britain. All of these claims, are, of course, completely imaginary. However, it is monstrous to imply that the rally a few days ago during a visit to Athens by Field Marshal Montgomery was due to indirect American prompting. It is such a blatant inaccuracy that perhaps it is not worth denying (…).
