AID TO GREECE AND TURKEY

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25445, 17 March 1948, Page 5

AID TO GREECE AND TURKEY

"The hour is far more fateful now than it was a year ago,” said General Marshall to-day. He was speaking to ths Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The United States, he said, must art “with calm determination” to prevent any further spread of Communism in Europe. General Marshall was urging Congress to vote 275,000,000 dollars for military aid to Greece and Turkey. Last year 400,000,000 dollars was voted. General Marshall said: “By intimidation and frank terror, Communist regimes have been imposed on Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Totalitarian control has been tightened in other Eastern European countries, and these States have been linked in a network of alliances.

“Other European peoples face a similar threat of being drawn against their will into the Communist orbit.” General Marshall said that the United States should avoid “hasty action, which could lead to the dissipation of our cr fear, which could lead to sterile inaction.” He then said: “With calm delibera* tion we must pursue the policy confirmed last : May by Congress.” (Con-' gess last May first approved aid to reece and Turkey in response to the “Truman Doctrine.” message.) Genera] Marshall said that to-day the Greek situation was serious but not without hope. He added that the latest example of the Greek guerrillas’ ruthlessness was the planned removal of 12.000 or more Greek children to countries of Eastern Europe “in connivance with foreign Powers.”