POISED FOR WAR

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 304, 23 December 1944, Page 6

POISED FOR WAR

MOKE GREEKS ARMED

Danger That Civil Strife May Spread N.Z.P.A. and British Wireless Rec. 2.30 p.m. LONDON, Dec. 22. There is every prospect of the civil .war spreading to Western Greece, says the Daily Expi'ess correspondent in Athens. Between 15,000 and 20,000 troops, under General Serafis, have occupied positions around the territory held by the E.D.E.S. force, 10,000 strong, under General Zervas. The E.L.A.S. forces hus far have been careful not to cross the boundary, but they have captured eight villages in the vicinity of the E.D.E.S. capital and mountain town of Janina. According to the E.D.E.S. leader, General Zervas, the E.L.A.S. forces in the past few days have been strengthened by Partisan Albanian guerillas. The correspondent adds that General Zervas has with him a British liaison officer of the rank of colonel. The Greek national guard referred to in a recent communique from General Scobie's headquarters already numbers over 10,000 men, says an Athens message. A Greek Government decree has been published calling up the 1934 to 1940 classes, and the men have responded with enthusiasm. For the present they are being used to garrison quarters liberated by British troops.

HIGH OBJECTIVES

FOR BETTER WORLD

Roosevelt On Validity Of Atlantic Charter

Rec. 2.30. WASHINGTON, Dec. 22

Replying to a reporter, who remarked that some were of the opinion that the Atlantic Charter was losing its purpose or slipping away, President Roosevelt, at a Press conference, said: "The objectives of the Atlantic Charter are as valid as when they were announced in 1941."

The President added that certain documents through the years seemed to maintain great importance, affecting public thinking on objectives for a better world. The objectives in some instances were never obtained, but they were still good. For example, people did not live up to all the Ten Commandments and all the doctrines of Christianity, but nevertheless they were pretty good objectives to shoot at.

President Roosevelt explained that he was not comparing the Charter with the Commandments or the Christian religion, but the Charter would take its place in history as a major step forward, just as President Wilson's Fourteen Points constituted something all would like to see attained.

r - The reporter asked whether it was contemplated that there would be an Allied joint Chiefs of Staff to handle political and economic matters, as had been suggested. President Roosevelt replied that he thought columnists had suggested it, and added that he thought columnists were an unnecessary excrescence on our civilisation-

A woman reporter interjected: "But you have one in the family."

President Roosevelt joined in the laughter, and agreed that was perfectly true, but said: "Eleanor's column, 'My Day,' is rather different, because it's mostly a diary."