American Foreign Policy Towards the Colonels' Greece : Uncertain Allies and the 1967 Coup d'État

"This book seeks to comprehensively analyze and document U.S. foreign policy toward a strategic Cold War ally that posed a stark challenge to the traditionally-stated U.S. preference for democracy and political freedom. It details the complex ways in which the U.S. reacted to that challenge and went about crafting policies of longer-term accommodation with a regime it wished to retain as a close ally in a strategically important part of the world."-- Provided by publisher Contents 6 Chapter 1 Political Instability and Breakdown: The Historical Context 8 The US Role in Postwar Greece 14 Democracy Under Threat: 1964–1967 22 Approaches to the Embassy 24 American or Greek Worries? 28 Likelihood of a Coup? 37 A Coup? “Not a Solution” 39 References 43 Chapter 2 A Fait Accompli: The US Reaction to the Greek Military Coup of 1967 47 The Initial US Reaction 47 Constructing a Longer-Term Policy 59 A Way Forward 68 References 69 Chapter 3 Johnson, Nixon, and Athens: Changing Foreign Policy Toward the Greek Military Dictatorship 71 The Johnson Administration’s Policy Toward Greece 72 The New Administration 86 The Issue of Military Aid Under Nixon 97 Chapter 4 Internal Divides: The White House, State Department, and the Athens Embassy 105 A New Foreign Policy Line 108 Deepening Disagreements in the Early Nixon Years 109 Reconvergence of Views 119 References 125 Chapter 5 A View of the Colonels from the US Congress: Supporters and Opponents of the Greek Regime 126 The Liberal Opposition in Congress 129 The Supporters of US Government Policy Toward the Junta 136 Congressional Supporters of the Colonels 142 References 149 Chapter 6 US Diplomacy Within Europe and NATO on the Greek Question 150 Greece Within NATO 153 References 172 Chapter 7 Agency in Athens: The Greek Colonels’ Strategy Toward the US 174 The Lack of Constitutional Progress: An Inconvenient Truth 175 The Military Assistance Program 181 The Vice Presidential Visit to Greece 187 Tailoring Policy to Greek Sensitivities 199 Conclusion 202 Chapter 8 Assessing US Foreign Policy in the Junta Era 206 What Have We Seen? 207 US Opposition to a Constitutional “Deviation” 207 US Surprise and Coolness to the Coup of 21 April 209 The Development of the Longer-Term Policy 210 The Colonels’ Strategic Agency 214 What Is Left to See? 215 The Role of Other Countries 215 The Domestic Factor 217 Other US Governmental Agencies 217 The Predominance of National Security 221 References 222 Selected Bibliography 223 Index 230 Front Matter ....Pages i-viii Political Instability and Breakdown: The Historical Context (Neovi M. Karakatsanis, Jonathan Swarts)....Pages 1-39 A Fait Accompli: The US Reaction to the Greek Military Coup of 1967 (Neovi M. Karakatsanis, Jonathan Swarts)....Pages 41-64 Johnson, Nixon, and Athens: Changing Foreign Policy Toward the Greek Military Dictatorship (Neovi M. Karakatsanis, Jonathan Swarts)....Pages 65-98 Internal Divides: The White House, State Department, and the Athens Embassy (Neovi M. Karakatsanis, Jonathan Swarts)....Pages 99-119 A View of the Colonels from the US Congress: Supporters and Opponents of the Greek Regime (Neovi M. Karakatsanis, Jonathan Swarts)....Pages 121-144 US Diplomacy Within Europe and NATO on the Greek Question (Neovi M. Karakatsanis, Jonathan Swarts)....Pages 145-168 Agency in Athens: The Greek Colonels’ Strategy Toward the US (Neovi M. Karakatsanis, Jonathan Swarts)....Pages 169-200 Assessing US Foreign Policy in the Junta Era (Neovi M. Karakatsanis, Jonathan Swarts)....Pages 201-217 Back Matter ....Pages 219-232 "This book seeks to comprehensively analyze and document U.S. foreign policy toward a strategic Cold War ally that posed a stark challenge to the traditionally-stated U.S. preference for democracy and political freedom. It details the complex ways in which the U.S. reacted to that challenge and went about crafting policies of longer-term accommodation with a regime it wished to retain as a close ally in a strategically important part of the world"--Back cover