DISSENSION IN GREECE

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24151, 10 January 1944, Page 3

DISSENSION IN GREECE

RIVAL RESISTANCE ORGANISATIONS « SUSPICION OF FASCISM AND COMMUNISM” Prom Our Own Correspondent LONDON, November 5. “The feud between the rival Greek guerrilla organisations, E.L.A.S. and E.DtE.S., resulting in clashes between bands of patriots, is gravely compromising the movepient of Greek patriotic resistance against the Germans, which, during the last few months, had made such a splendid show of unity of purpose and combined action,” says the Ankara correspondent of “The Times.” “The Germans are certainly responsible for this state of affairs by their underground work, which, through their secret agents, has sown among the patriot organisations the seeds of mutual suspicion of Fascism and Communism. , , , , “Matters are further complicated by the reappearance in Greek political life of General Pangalos, who had established in 1928 a short-lived dictatorship, and who now has begun to play a part which, to say the least, is extremely suspicious. As already reported in this correspondence, the Germans are preparing a large-scale offensive against the Greek ‘antartis,’ and by weakening the efficiency and co-operative action of those bands they expect to annihilate them separately; the danger is great and urgent, and unless the Greek patriots realise it they will cause immense harm to the cause of the liberation of their country. “The history of the Greek guerrilla movement is most instructive, for it illustrates the peril of the acute political dissensions which menace almost every occupied country in Europe. “When the Allies began to take in hand the organisation of the movement of resistance in Greece about 16 months ago they found there a secret political organisation called E.A.M. (Greek initials for National Liberation Movement), with ramifications in most parts of Greece; it was an extreme left-wing organisation under strong Communist Influence. Patriots Sallied “With Allied support this organisation formed bands of partisans, to which there soon flocked large numbers of patriotic Greeks, eager to fight against the invaders of their country; these adherents, who belonged .to all political parties, had to take an oath of absolute loyalty and obedience .to the orders of EA.M. under the death penalty. Soon the number of patriots under E.A.M. reached about 30,000, and this armed force had been named E.LA.S. (Greek initials for National Popular liberation Army). “In the meantime other patriotic organisations had sprung up and also obtained Allied support; the principal of them is E.D.E.S. (Greek initials for National Democratic Greek Army), under the leadership of Colonel Zervas. For some time those various organisations worked smoothly and even cooperated, with the result that important lines of communication were cut and the Germans and Italians were practically driven out of the countryside which was, and still is, under the almost complete control of patriots. This continued till the recent outbreak of hostility between E.L.A.S. arid E.D.E.S., the immediate cause of which is believed to be the sharing of war material obtained from’ the Italian forces after the Italian capitulation. Mutual Accusations “The reasons of dissension are, however, much deeper, and the Germans have been quick to take advantage of and exploit them. E.D.E.S. is accusing E.L.A.S. of trying to monopolise the movement of resistance, with the ulterior motive of establishing Communism in Greece. E.A.M.—which, as stated above, is the political committee directing E.LA.S.—is further accused of using terrorist methods against the adherents of other organisations and of putting to death its own adher* ents who, ygaUsing,that.they Are working, for the establishment, of Communism in Greece, tried to bfeak away and join other patriotic organisations. “E.A.M. denies those accusations and maintains that although many of its leaders are Communists they have, especially since the suppression of the Comintern, given up the idea of establishing Communism in Greece, and are now co-operating with other leftwing parties to found a regime of social reform in Greece. E.AJVL, in its turn, charges E.D.E.S. with being a Fascist organisation encouraged by the Germans and working for the continuation of the privileges of the ruling classes, which are accused of having failed to establish stable political conditions and thus rendering possible the Metaxas dictatorship, of supporting wealthy Greeks, who selfishly invest their money abroad, leaving the country in a state of economic miasma which keeps the standard of living of the Greek people at a low level, and of co-operating with those moneyed people who produce .food in the black market during the occupation, while the poorer classes are starving. “Most of those reciprocal charges are certainly unfair or exaggerated; they are the result of the deplorable state of minds which labels as ‘Fascist’ anybody opposed to social upheavals, and as ‘Communist’ any person favouring social reforms. The immediate consequence of this sharp division among the Greek people is of course the weakening of the movement of resistance against the Germans, but it may also lead, after the liberation of Greece, to civil war between the rival factions, supported by the armed bands. This danger should be ever present in the mind of every patriotic Greek, to whichever party he belongs, and the Allies themselves should not lose sight of the additional evil menacing a people which already has made so many sacrifices and suffered so much for fee common cause.”