Nixon, Tasca & Haig on Greece and George Papadopoulos

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Well, I'm sorry, we have a piece of rock that I had.

I was in New York.

Well, now that I was up here to see you, I've had a rather interesting experience the last couple of days.

I was up in Philadelphia, and I was sent upon a relationship with the director of the office.

And I tried to get across to them the point that as much as we don't like the kind of government they've got, there's no alternative to our policy, and the only way we're going to get to democracy is through them, because they're firmly in the South.

and uh so we're gonna have to continue to work with them and whatever you if you want security and you want to get back to democracy you better work with each of us and i expressed they asked me about my views of the house

I bet I'd say, of course, that the Congress of the United States wants to say something generally about democracy.

They're not tied to any of that.

I think that would be better.

I guess that was the biggest thing.

But I tried to get as many hard facts in the record as I could, such as the number of joint NATO exercises that have been out there, and the general opinion of the Greek armed forces being high quality for the NATO, the NATO demand, and the fact that NATO would accept knowing that Denmark was behind it to Greece.

They didn't know that Germany is doing something.

I've been working on that myself to Greece.

And we've got some hard facts in there, especially the purging.

If you look at the total figures, if you're not wrong what you hear, it's about 20,000 officers all together in three armed forces.

Since 1967, about 650 have been purged for political reasons.

And of that group, about 225 are the senior officers and the colonels.

and above, and 69 present, and that place was among the most regrettable, as it was, I suppose, and used to be in any of them.

So I tried to get on with the record, and with the Senate this morning, I had the feeling I made some progress with the Senate this morning.

Some of you was there, and Cal, and McGee, and Newsom, and Cordray,

I think it was useful.

I made a friend out of Wayne Hayes who thought I was a horrendous character before I arrived and he escorted me out to the car and I said, why don't you come over to Greece and take another look at it and talk to these folks and you tell them how much you want tomorrow for sure.

Over in Greece, he said, fine, if you've got a caliber bucket, maybe we might get them over there.

I said, perfect, I think it would be useful.

And then he said to me, he said, you know, I don't mind if Papa Douglas wins the elections as long as he has the races.

Well, as far as that amendment is concerned, as far as the Greeks are concerned,

We've got to continue to keep the pressure on who you are, and what priority it is, and how long, and the fact that you're going to be working.

And hope to God that you're going to graduate or, you know, just do something.

It's, if they can only think in terms of symbolism, I don't give a damn what happens.

They're, they've all got themselves an election to do so-called democratic efforts.

We understand that the Greeks used to use straight lines.

Well, we're going to keep looking at it, and I'm hopeful that one of the things that has made some of us talk about this is I've gotten the word to him through some very close business friends that he ought to try to be helpful between now and the end of 72.

It's one of the critical things that he used to do.

He ought to fix a date for the election, doesn't he?

Absolutely.

We've got to do it.

We don't have time to go back and do it.

First of all, I'm going to put it to an end, so you say we have time.

He was very upset about it.

Oh, I know he was.

But we couldn't let him know at this time.

We didn't tell him.

We didn't let him come.

But tell him that it would be a very great thing.

This is really a great thing.

We like this.

We're going to be an ancestry nice person.

They could make a symbolic move before he came.

So it appeared that it's, you see what I mean?

I understand, but I'm just saying, also tell them, look, they had a hell of an interest in having a friend of Green.

and a very new point in this office, how they're making it goddamn hard, how they don't know what they're getting into.

And then you can also say that the President's going to fight this Congress, that he's going to have a hell of a hard time, that he is on your side, but don't make it so difficult for him to say that right now.

I'd have overflown if I'd say that Congress has got an arm.

Yes, that's up to them.

But they should announce it.

They should announce it just before the Vice President comes.

or something like that.

You see, that would give a very nice touch to it.

I think you might work on something like that.

Well, Charlie, one of the things that's going to hurt it is the amendment is going to make it more difficult for them because it's going to make it appear they'll be very sensitive about declaring that because of the vote and this amendment that they've fixed the date for elections.

I think that's both sides.

I think it'd be difficult for them to vote because this amendment is that it would be hard to fix the date for elections because it looks like they've done it under the stress of the amendment.

Well, how the hell can you get around that?

Can't you just say they don't have elections?

Well, let me work on it.

I know what you want, and I'll see what I can do about it.

I see.

Forget those.

Forget that thing.

They ought to do it then.

Another way would be this.

Well, one of the first things they can do is get rid of Marshall Law.

I got it.

don't do it to the vice president.

And then say, it was a very great achievement.

It would be a fantastic thing for him.

And to then ignore him and say, go ahead.

10,000.

See my point?

It looks then as if he is not going to be vice president.

So he is.

He also needs men to be working for him.

How's that sound to you?

Well, I'll try it.

I'm not an appeal to you.

They must be conspiratorial not to see that.

Well, they are conspiratorial, but they'll still fear that one angle I've been talking about.

Say it, put it this way.

Say, they shouldn't get into the Congress.

They are their enemies.

But they might say it to the Vice President.

He talks on the dog, he talks on the police.

They all talk about it.

And as a gesture of goodwill or something like that, he says, no, we're not going to do that.

They do it on their own so that he can come back.

People will say, well, you know, see my friend.

There's no, no, no language.

We're just talking to do it.

So he looks good.

Make him look good.

What you're talking about?

Well, I ended up wanting to go to Greece, and I wanted to get a great rock.

Well, it's not my best, but I know I can do all the work.

Well, I appreciate it very much, and my daughter very much appreciates it.

She and David were wonderful people out at home.

I know it's a busy time.

My gate was reaching after me, and I found this place really interesting.

Absolutely.

I said, all right, I'm happy.

Well, I gotta catch this plane to New York.

Well, if you get through this, I will give you a less strenuous one.

Give you one of them.

I know, seriously, if you want to get the election out of the way, you've got to be serious about it.

All right.

Okay.

I'm going to say goodbye.

Nixon, Tasca & Haig on Greece and George Papadopoulos

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on August 4, 1971

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