ARTICLE VIII PUBLICITY REGARDING UNITED STATES ASSISTANCE (a) The Austrian Government will permit and arrange full and continuous publicity regarding the purpose, source, character, scope, amounts and progress of the United States relief program in Austria, including the utilization of funds accruing from sales of United States relief supplies for the benefit of the people. In addition, at least on two occasions, on its coming into force, and once during the period relief distribution is in effect, the Austrian Government will arrange that this entire Agreement be published in the newspapers of the three largest communities of the country. (b) All United States relief supplies and any articles processed from such supplies, or containers of such supplies or articles, shall, to the extent practicable, be marked, stamped, branded, or labelled in a conspicuous place in such a manner as to indicate to the ultimate consumer that such supplies or articles have been furnished by the United States for relief assistance; or if such supplies, articles, or containers are incapable of being so marked, stamped, branded, or labelled, all practicable steps will be taken by the Austrian Government to inform the ultimate consumer thereof that such supplies or articles have been furnished by the United States for relief assistance. ARTICLE IX TERMINATION OF RELIEF ASSISTANCE The United States Government will terminate any or all of its relief assistance at any time whenever it determines (1) by reason of changed conditions the provision of relief assistance of the character authorized by the Public Law 84, Eightieth Congress, May 31, 1947, is no longer necessary; (2) any provisions of this Agreement are not being carried out; (3) an excessive amount of United States relief supplies, or of similar supplies produced locally or imported from outside sources, is being used to assist in the maintenance of Austrian armed forces, or if any such supplies are used to assist in the maintenance of armed forces of any occupying power, or (4) United States relief supplies or similar supplies produced locally or imported from outside sources are being exported or removed from Austria. The United States Government may stop or alter its program of assistance whenever in its determination other circumstances warrant such action. ARTICLE X DATE OF AGREEMENT This Agreement shall take effect as from this day's date. It shall continue in force until a date to be agreed upon by the two Governments. Done in duplicate in the English and German languages at Vienna, this twentyfifth day of June, 1947. For the Government of the United States: GEOFFREY KEYES For the Government of Austria: FIGL LEOPOLD GRUBER [SEAL] 98756-50- -80 294. AID TO GREECE AND TURKEY Message From the Greek Prime Minister and the Minister for Foreign Affairs to the President and the Secretary of State, March 3, 1947 1 SIR: I have the honor, on instructions of my Government, to convey the following urgent message to His Excellency the President of the United States and to Your Excellency: "Owing to the systematic devastation of Greece, the decimation and debilitation of her people and the destruction of her economy through four invasions and protracted enemy occupation, as well as through disturbances in the wake of war, and despite the valuable assistance rendered by our Allies during and after the war for which the Greek people feel profoundly grateful, further and immediate assistance has unfortunately become vital. It is impossible to exaggerate the magnitude of the difficulties that beset those survivors in Greece who are devoting themselves to the restoration of their country. Such means of survival as remained to the Greek people after the enemy withdrew have now been exhausted so that today Greece is without funds to finance the import even of those consumption goods that are essential for bare subsistence. In such circumstances the Greek people cannot make progress in attacking the problems of reconstruction, though substantial reconstruction must be begun if the situation in Greece is not to continue to be critical. "The Greek Government and people are therefore compelled to appeal to the Government of the United States and through it to the American people for financial, economic and expert assistance. For Greece to survive she must have: "1. The financial and other assistance which will enable her immediately to resume purchases of the food, clothing, fuel, seeds and the like that are indispensable for the subsistence of her people and that are obtainable only from abroad. "2. The financial and other assistance necessary to enable the civil and military establishments of the Government to obtain from abroad the means of restoring in the country the tranquillity and feeling of security indispensable to the achievement of economic and political recovery. "3. Aid in obtaining the financial and other assistance that will enable Greece and the Greek people to create the means for selfsupport in the future. This involves problems which unhappily cannot be solved unless we surmount the crisis immediately confronting us. "4. The aid of experienced American administrative, economic and technical personnel to assure the utilization in an effective and up-todate manner of the financial and other assistance given to Greece, to help to restore a healthy condition in the domestic economy and public administration and to train the young people of Greece to assume their responsibilities in a reconstructed economy. "The need is great. The determination of the Greek people to do all in their power to restore Greece as a self-supporting, self-respecting democracy is also great; but the destruction in Greece has been so 1 First Report to Congress on Assistance to Greece and Turkey, Department of State publication 2957, Near Eastern Series 11, pp. 28-29. Delivered by the Chargé d'Affaires of Greece at Washington on March 3, 1947, and released to the press on March 4. complete as to rob the Greek people of the power to meet the situation by themselves. It is because of these circumstances that they turn to America for aid. "It is the profound hope of the Greek Government that the Government of the United States will find a way to render to Greece without delay the assistance for which it now appeals. "Signed: D. MAXIMOS, Prime Minister, C. TSALDARIS, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs." Accept, Sir, the renewed assurances of my highest consideration. PAUL ECONOMOU-GOURAS His Excellency GEORGE C. MARSHALL Secretary of State Washington, D. C. 295. RECOMMENDATIONS ON GREECE AND TURKEY (TRUMAN DOCTRINE) Message of the President to the Congress, March 12, 1947 1 MR. PRESIDENT, MR. SPEAKER, MEMBERS OF THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES: The gravity of the situation which confronts the world today necessitates my appearance before a joint session of the Congress. The foreign policy and the national security of this country are involved. One aspect of the present situation, which I wish to present to you at this time for your consideration and decision, concerns Greece and Turkey. The United States has received from the Greek Government an urgent appeal for financial and economic assistance. Preliminary reports from the American Economic Mission now in Greece and reports from the American Ambassador in Greece corroborate the statement of the Greek Government that assistance is imperative if Greece is to survive as a free nation. I do not believe that the American people and the Congress wish to turn a deaf ear to the appeal of the Greek Government. Greece is not a rich country. Lack of sufficient natural resources has always forced the Greek people to work hard to make both ends meet. Since 1940 this industrious and peace-loving country has suffered invasion, four years of cruel enemy occupation, and bitter internal strife. When forces of liberation entered Greece they found that the retreating Germans had destroyed virtually all the railways, roads, port facilities, communications, and merchant marine. More than a thousand villages had been burned. Eighty-five percent of the children were tubercular. Livestock, poultry, and draft animals had almost disappeared. Inflation had wiped out practically all savings. As a result of these tragic conditions, a militant minority, exploiting human want and misery, was able to create political chaos which, until now, has made economic recovery impossible. 1 Department of State Bulletin, Supplement of May 4, 1947, pp. 829-832. Delivered by the President before a joint session of Congress on March 12, 1947, and released to the press by the White House on the same date. Greece is today without funds to finance the importation of those goods which are essential to bare subsistence. Under these circumstances the people of Greece cannot make progress in solving their problems of reconstruction. Greece is in desperate need of financial and economic assistance to enable it to resume purchases of food, clothing, fuel, and seeds. These are indispensable for the subsistence of its people and are obtainable only from abroad. Greece must have help to import the goods necessary to restore internal order and security so essential for economic and political recovery. The Greek Government has also asked for the assistance of experienced American administrators, economists, and technicians to insure that the financial and other aid given to Greece shall be used effectively in creating a stable and self-sustaining economy and in improving its public administration. The very existence of the Greek state is today threatened by the terrorist activities of several thousand armed men, led by Communists, who defy the Government's authority at a number of points, particularly along the northern boundaries. A commission appointed by the United Nations Security Council is at present investigating disturbed conditions in northern Greece and alleged border violations along the frontier between Greece on the one hand and Albania, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia on the other. Meanwhile, the Greek Government is unable to cope with the situation. The Greek Army is small and poorly equipped. It needs supplies and equipment if it is to restore authority to the Government throughout Greek territory. Greece must have assistance if it is to become a self-supporting and self-respecting democracy. The United States must supply that assistance. We have already extended to Greece certain types of relief and economic aid, but these are inadequate. There is no other country to which democratic Greece can turn. No other nation is willing and able to provide the necessary support for a democratic Greek Government. The British Government, which has been helping Greece, can give no further financial or economic aid after March 31. Great Britain finds itself under the necessity of reducing or liquidating its commitments in several parts of the world, including Greece. We have considered how the United Nations might assist in this crisis. But the situation is an urgent one requiring immediate action, and the United Nations and its related organizations are not in a position to extend help of the kind that is required. It is important to note that the Greek Government has asked for our aid in utilizing effectively the financial and other assistance we may give to Greece, and in improving its public administration. It is of the utmost importance that we supervise the use of any funds made available to Greece, in such a manner that each dollar spent will count toward making Greece self-supporting, and will help to build an economy in which a healthy democracy can flourish. No government is perfect. One of the chief virtues of a democracy, however, is that its defects are always visible and under democratic processes can be pointed out and corrected. The Government of Greece is not perfect. Nevertheless it represents 85 percent of the members of the Greek Parliament who were chosen in an election last year. Foreign observers, including 692 Americans, considered this election to be a fair expression of the views of the Greek people. The Greek Government has been operating in an atmosphere of chaos and extremism. It has made mistakes. The extension of aid by this country does not mean that the United States condones everything that the Greek Government has done or will do. We have condemned in the past, and we condemn now, extremist measures of the right or the left. We have in the past advised tolerance, and we advise tolerance now. Greece's neighbor, Turkey, also deserves our attention. The future of Turkey as an independent and economically sound state is clearly no less important to the freedom-loving peoples of the world than the future of Greece. The circumstances in which Turkey finds itself today are considerably different from those of Greece. Turkey has been spared the disasters that have beset Greece. And during the war the United States and Great Britain furnished Turkey with material aid. Nevertheless, Turkey now needs our support. Since the war Turkey has sought additional financial assistance from Great Britain and the United States for the purpose of effecting that modernization necessary for the maintenance of its national integrity. That integrity is essential to the preservation of order in the Middle East. The British Government has informed us that, owing to its own. difficulties, it can no longer extend financial or economic aid to Turkey. As in the case of Greece, if Turkey is to have the assistance it needs, the United States must supply it. We are the only country able to provide that help. I am fully aware of the broad implications involved if the United States extends assistance to Greece and Turkey, and I shall discuss these implications with you at this time. One of the primary objectives of the foreign policy of the United States is the creation of conditions in which we and other nations will be able to work out a way of life free from coercion. This was a fundamental issue in the war with Germany and Japan. Our victory was won over countries which sought to impose their will, and their way of life, upon other nations. To insure the peaceful development of nations, free from coercion, the United States has taken a leading part in establishing the United Nations. The United Nations is designed to make possible lasting freedom and independence for all its members. We shall not realize our objectives, however, unless we are willing to help free peoples to maintain their free institutions and their national integrity against aggressive movements that seek to impose upon them totalitatian regimes. This is no more than a frank recognition that totalitarian regimes imposed upon free peoples, by direct or indirect aggression, undermine the foundations of international peace and hence the security of the United States. The peoples of a number of countries of the world have recently had totalitarian regimes forced upon them against their will. The Government of the United States has made frequent protests against coercion and intimidation, in violation of the Yalta agreement, in Poland, Rumania, and Bulgaria. I must also state that in a number of other countries there have been similar developments. |