BULLYING GREECE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 234, 31 August 1940, Page 7

BULLYING GREECE

ITALIAN COWARDICE. OPEN ACT AVOIDED. (United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.,) (British Official Wireless.) Received August 31, 9.15 a.m. RUGBY, Aug. 30. “While there is no evidence that Mussolini intends to make war on Greece,” says the Times, “there is much that he is putting himself in a state of preparedness to do so at any moment. More and more Italian troops are being concentrated opposite the Greek" frontier in disregard of the .demilitarised zone there.

“Italian aeroplanes have been seen over' Epirus. Greek owners have received warnings that even vessels provided with Italian visas will be liable to be detained for sailing under the British navicert system. Other owners who have leased their vessels on longterm charters to the British Government have been advised to break their contracts.

“The northern partner in the Axis has been supporting this attitude by denouncing on the wireless ‘so-called’ neutrals who maintain maritime relations wit'll Britain. The Italian propagandists are cooking up charges against the Greek authorities on the Greek frontier. “Throughout the whole period of blackmailing to which Greece has been subjected by Italian leaders and publicists, her Government has gone out of the way to avoid every possible cause of provocation, but it has become unneutral in the eyes of the Axis countries for Greece to have even normal relations with Britain. Greece is small, so Greece is bullied by them, declares the Times. MENACE AND BLACKMAIL. “One of Italy’s obvious purposes i> to obtain use ot Greek harbours and maritime facilities. Mussolini knows that an open act of war would justify this country, by virtue of the guarantee given Greece last year, in occupying Greek harbours immediately. The open act, therefore, is avoided, and a policy of menace by delaying and blackmail is pursued instead. _ . . “Greece, however, lias good mends and is accessible to sea-power: Ihe Italian attempt at terrorism has united the country behind its Prime Minister as it has never been united since the days of the Balkan wars. General Metaxas quietly makes the necessary preparations to resist aggression from any quarter.”