ANXIOUS PUBLIC

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21582, 8 December 1944, Page 5

ANXIOUS PUBLIC

POLITICAL FEARS LONDON PRESS VIEWS CHALLENGE To REACTION (Special Correspondent.) LONDON, Dec. 6. Bi'itish public opumon is disturbed by the political crises in Italy, Belgium and Greece, anil the allegations from some quarters that the British Government is endeavouring to maintain reactionary Governments in these countries against the wishes of the population. The snub aetivered by Mr. Edward Stettimus, U.o. Secretary uf State, in a statement publicly dissociating America from British policy in rtaiy and uy implication in Greece, has caused some mystification at the iack of concerted policy. This leering oi public uneasiness is reflected by the newspapers in their comment. The Daily Telegraph says cnat from the welter of recrimination from Left and Right in Greece, there emerges the tact that eacn siue suspects the other of preparing not for free elections but for usurpation of power. The article adds; "Here is .■/here the British auitude touches ana must touch Greek politics. We are irrevocably pledged to ensure that the _lec Lions, when held, snail be free, anu we shall fulfil that pledge. The Daiiy Telegraph continues: “In the political sense we are bound to ensure that no party shall anticipate or influence bj' violence the results of .he ultimate decisions of the Greek people as a whole. “Means must be .uken to see that Greece lives at peace until her people can express their views at the elections. If a Greek Government can be found to ensure these conditions, well and good; if not, we must ensure them.” ' J “Never divorced from Politics” Tne Manchester Guardian, commenting on the demands of the E.A.M., .he Greek resistance movement, ttiai .wo brigades of the Greek army firmed in Egypt should be disarmed and disbanded at the same time as tne .L.A.S., tine army of the Partisans, ..ay at first sight appear an intolerable claim, “but it should be remembered that the Greek army has never ct been divorced from politics, and is not now. The Left-Wing and Repubican parties fear that the army will js used to ‘rig’ the elections in exactly the same way as it was used by Nindylis in 1935 to ‘organise’ the plebiscite which led to the restoration if the Monarchy. And when the E.A.M. leaders claim that the present Greek army is carefully chosen from ■oyalist and conservative elements, that may not be far from the truth, for it was the Republican and LeftWing elements which mutinied at Alexandria and are now interned in Egypt.” The Manchester Guardian continues. “If these features are peculiar to Greece, there are others which are lommon to Europe. The resistance movements in the occupied countries, vhich include the most youthful, vigorous and radical elements of the population, see war as a dual one—a military war against the German army md a political war against Fascism at ’tome and abroad. To them, victory in the second is as important as victory in tiie first. A Share in Government “For our own sakes as well as for -he sake of Europe, we cannot aiforu .o ignore this deep and sincere feeling, lowever exasperating its expression may sometimes be. Somehow we must ind a way to give expression to this feeling, and to give the resistance movements a share in the temporary Government of their countries.” The Guardian suggests that the remedy is to make the resistance leaders responsible by insisting that they take a share in the Government. Commenting on the statement by Mr. Stettinius, the Guardian says: “It :annot often have happened that a British Government has reecived so sharp a snub. The United States apparently will have nothing to do with British pressure on the Belgian, the Yugoslav or even the Greek Government, in addition to the tlalian.” The paper says: “British prestige in America as a democratic Power is now almost as low as the point touched after Mr. Winston Churchill’s disastrous enconium of General Franco, the Spanish dictator. “American Memory Short” “Americans have delightfully short memories. Gone is the shameful record of the State Department’s support of Darlan, its flirtation with Giraud, its mistrust ot De Gaulle. That is all washed out by moralising over Britain’s unsuccesful floundering in ‘power politics’—in our supposed wish to dominate Greece and Italy and bind Belgium to ourselves, in our supposed fondness for ‘reaction’ and monarchies, and in our supposed fear of resurgent Left movements. It is an absurb picture, for of all countries the United States probably (apart from Portugal, Eire and Spain) is most frightened of a Europe given over to ' Communism.’ ” The Guardian adds: “The Govern-, nient must be desperately careful not to get into these false positions.” The Daily Herald, commenting on the Greek position, expresses the opinion that a new beginning should be made by re-calling a conference oi all the ‘ Greek parties which met at Lebanon last May, and at the new conference the balance and policy of a reconstructed Government should be decided. The Herald adds: “The British Government should now most strongly urge all factions to call a truce for the reconstruction of the Cabinet, so that the final day of vicj tory over Naxi Germany should not be delayed.” The Herald deplores that the major Allies have not more closely co-ordinated their foreign policies, and asks: “Would men be so apprehensive about the future if they felt complete unity existed between Britain, the Soviet and the United States on policy as well as strategy.