REVIEW OF THE FACTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 136, 6 December 1944, Page 5

REVIEW OF THE FACTS

I MR. CHURCHILL IN COMMONS jKec. 10.50 a.m. RUGBY, December Df [ Giving the House of Commons an | account of the troubles in Athens, Mr. ! Churchill announced that more British troops were on the way to Greece. "So iar as has beeru ascertained." i said Mr. Churchill, "the facts are as I follows. The Greek organisation called EAM had announced its intention to hold c: demonstration on December !3. The Gre:>k Government a*, first authorised this, but withdrew the permission when the EAM called for a general strike to take place on December 2. The strike in fact -came into force early on December 3. Later in the morning the EAM demonstrators formed up and moved to the principal square in Athens in spite of the Government ban. On the evidence so far available, I am not prepared to say who started the firing which then took place. The police suffered one fatal casualty and had three men wounded. The latest authentic reports give the demonstrators' casualties as 11 killed and 60 wounded. "The demonstration continued during the afternoon, but there was no [further shooting, and by 4.30 the crowd had dispersed and tranquility had been restored." Replying to an interruption, Mr. Churchill said: "Sometimes it is necessary to use force to prevent greater bloodshed. "If the- damage of four years of war and the enemy occupation is to be repaired and if Greek life and economy are to be rebuilt, internal stability must be maintained, and a General Election under fair conditions and the authority of a constitutional Greek' j Government must be accepted and enI forced throughout the country. The I I armed forces must be dependent on [the Greek Government. No Govern- ; rnent can have a sure foundation so Ion? as there are private armies I owing allegiance to a group party or

ideology instead of to the State and the nation. "Although these facts should be clear to all, the Left Wing and Communist Ministers have resigned from the Government at this dangerous crisis rather than implement measures to which they had already agreed for the replacement of the EAM police and guerrillas by regular national services In addition, the EAM leaders called a general strike which for the time being is preventing food which we and the Americans are providing from reaching the mouths of the ie d D ' whom we are trying to "It is our belief that in restoring law and order the Government SI the support of the overwhelming majority of the Greek people Thei! gaping needs is to receive relief for immediate requirements and conditions which will give them a chance of earning a livelihood. In both these ways we wish to help them, and we are working continually with experts financial and otherwise, to assist in every possible way. { THE NEED FOR CAUTION. After Mr Churchill had made his statement.. Mr. F. Pethick-Lawrence (Labour) urged the Prime Minister to take care that, the Government watched its step so that its action in suppressing disorder should not take the form of support of any one faction. He asked for an assurance that if the armed forces of Britain and her allies were to be used in support of the Greek Government, the -British Government would impress upon tha Greek Government the need for a conciliatory policy and that they should not assume because they had the support of the British forces that they could take such action as they liked. •Mr. Churchill replied: "I quite agree, we take a great responsibility in intervening to preserve law and order. It would be. very much easier to sail away and allow everything to degenerate, as it would, into anarchy or a Communist dictatorship. But we do not feel that, having taking the posi-

tion we have, having entered Athens) and brought food and made great] efforts to restore the currency, and/ doing our utmost to give those conditions of peace and tranquillity which! will eriable the Greek people as a whole to vote upon their future, we should look back or take our hand from the plough. We shall certainly not be able to do so." Mr. Churchill gave an assurance that the Greek people would have the fullest opportunity of free election and that the Allied armies would not ibe used to fasten any rule of faction tupon them.—B.O.W.

THE RIVAL FORCES

LONDON, December &.

The Athens correspondent of the "Daily Express" says that the EAM claims 1,500,000 members. It boasts its own guerrilla army (the ELAS). of 60,000, plus at least as many unarmed reserves, and it also has it 3 | own police force and an efficient politi- ! cal machine, which largely adminis- ! tered free Greece throughout the German occupation. This organisation still largely controls the country outside Athens. Opposing the ELAS, in fact if not in theory, is the EDES, which is not a large force and probably does not exceed 10,000; however, it is well armed by the Allies and its firepower is stated to be equal to that of the ELAS. An entire ELAS division is reported to have infiltrated into Athens in groups in the past 36 hours. More guerrilla forces are moving up to Athens, reports a correspondent in, the Greek capital. There is no reliable indication of the size of the forces, but they are not believed to be large. The guerrillas are legally under General Scobie's command, and their refusal to obey the British orders amounts to mutiny. The guerrillas still have 34 hours in which to decide whether they will comply with General Scobie's orders.