The Greek newspaper Kathimerini has laid eyes on a secret telegram sent to Athens by is ambassador to the US, C.Panagopoulos. This describes the close relations between the two countries at the time of the negotiations. Washington, which was obviously very keen in keeping Greece in the Eurozone, advised A.Tsipras to create alliances with the UK, France, Italy and Austria by assuring them that the country was willing and able to undertake major reforms in exchange for their support.
While advising the Greek government not to be directly opposing to Germany and to keep a low profile, avoiding inflammatory remarks for instance, Washington also proposed that the rest of Europe should be reminded of the geopolitical position of Greece. The telegram also reveals that the US government encouraged the IMF to openly express the opinion that the Greek debt must be lightened if it is to become viable.
A telling quote from the telegram follows: “in short it becomes clear that the American side is persuaded that it would be the wrong move to attempt, for now, to alter the “philosophical-theological” approach of Mr.Schauble which is based on the rationale that in order for the Eurozone to remain competitive on a world scale, and the Euro a strong currency, the application of strong measures is imperative instead of compromises” as they (the US government) “approach the position from another angle, believing that in order for the Eurozone to be credible, it must remain whole”.