Threats, offers to Lady Fleming

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32776, 29 November 1971, Page 15

Threats, offers to Lady Fleming

(N.Z.P A.-Reuter—Copyright)

NEW YORK, November 8.

Lady Fleming, the Greek-born widow of the discoverer of penicillin, told a press conference in New York yesterday that attempts to get her to collaborate with the Greek regime ranged from torture threats to offers of Government posts.

Lady Fleming, aged 62, the widow of Sir Alexander Fleming, flew into New York from London, where she has been staying since her expulsion from Greece and deprivation of Greek citizenship two weeks ago. She has come to the United States to advise Congressmen on the situation in Greece. She was met at the airport by Senator Vance Hartke (Democrat, Indiana), a member of the United States Committee for Democracy in Greece. He told journalists: “I know that’ she will do everything possible to alert this country and the world to the abuses of the Greek military dictatorship.” Lady Fleming said that she looked back on her expulsion “with much bitterness.” It followed her release from gaol on grounds of ill-health after serving a few weeks of a 16-month term for conspiring to aid the escape of a Greek prisoner. Lady Fleming said that at one stage she was questioned by the governor of the special interrogation centre of the military police. “We had moments when he was threatening to take out my teeth one after the other,” she said.

But she said that she was not “physically tortured” and was given “V.I.P. treatment.” adding: “With this V.I.P. treatment I think I lost some three or four stones in 31 days. “In between, we had days

when ministries were offered to me.

“I was something wonderful. ... I was offered the Ministry of Education,” she added, and was also offered the Ministry of Social Welfare.

Lady Fleming described her interrogator as being a “tiger without claws. He had not been given permission to torture me during interrogation,” she added.

She said the object of the exercise was to persuade her to collaborate with the military regime.

“They are begging for help. Nobody of any value has ever collaborated with them.

“This is the way they stay in power, through fear, through oppression. They would have loved to have my name with them.”

Lady Fleming was convicted in Athens with others including two Americans, of plotting to free Alexandras Penagoullis, in gaol for attepting to assassinate the I Prime Minister. Mr George | Papadopoulos. | She was released suffering from diabetes and an internal ! ailment. She looked tired but was smiling when she flew (into New York. She said she would have accepted suffering provided I she could have remained in : Greece.

“I offered to go back to I prison, provided I was not expelled. I was refused," she said.