'

@ A commission set up by the United Nations,
@ report on Greece. American and British
ernment’s policies in bolstering an anti-democra‘

the blame where it belongs—on the corrupt qu

shown here in session, is compiling
representatives, reflecting their gov-

tic government, place the blame for
continued fighting on other Balkan states. pan and Polish. representatives place

-ridden Greek government.

| met the guerillas

hy GEORGE THOMAS, M. P.

AM NOT an extreme Leftist,
member of the Labor Party.

I am an ordinary
I visited Greece on be-

half of the National Union of Students, The Students’
Labor Federation and the British Youth Coordinating Com-
mittee to observe the trial of EPON, the Greek Demo-

cratic Youth Organization.
EPON is a cultural body seek-
ing to help in the’ reconstruction

‘ of a troubled country. It is in-

comprehensible to me that the
present Greek government should
try to suppress the creative
talents of the young people.

I visited 50 men awaiting
transportation to the ‘islands.
They were crammed together in
@ small room. One was suffering
from TB and told me he had
received no medical attention.
When the prison official declar-
@d that he had, all the detainees
with one accord denied this.

Under the emergency measures
now in force, the Security Com-
mittees can charge and try a
person in his absence and with-
out his knowledge, and then in-
form him that he has been sent-
enced to deportation. If a man

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FRIDAY, MAY 2, 1947

flees to the mountains to avoid
deportation, his wife and chil-
dren can be deported. But since
the announcement of the UN
Commission, it is true that wo-

men and children are being’

brought back from the islands.

In Athens, EAM is legal. But
in the provinces if you admit
loyalty to HAM—whose heroic
struggle against the Germans is
well known—you risk imprison-
ment, deportation or murder.
That is why so many flee to the
mountains.

A follower of the veteran Lib-
eral, Sophoulis, told me that he
knew he was due for exile, but
the arrival of the UN Commis:
mission had led to delay of his
deportation."I met a priest of
80 who had been deported be-
cause his son was president of
the local EAM,

@

ROM ‘Trikkala, I set out to

visit the neighboring villages.
It was a dramatic moment,
when, in a village, a young
man with a rifle came up to me,
sprang to attention and _ said,
“Andartes.” I was then in guer-
illa territory ...

I visiteq many villages, travel-
ling by donkey (and it is not
true that “anybody can ride a
donkey”) and everywhere I
found the people going about
their normal daily routine in
guerilla territory. They were
bitterly opposed to the present
government, particularly because
it deprives them of food, even
of UNRRA food. Civil servants
in the guerilla areas do not
receive their salaries. Even the
teachers are not paid by the
government. As a teacher my-
self, I was amazed to find that
if a teacher in guerilla territory
carries on with his job he gets
no pay from the government.
But if he goes to a neighboring
town, where he will remain idle,

the government will keep him
in idleness,

Of the guerilla leaders, I first
met Captain Kikizas and then
General Markos. I also met

Captain Ypsilantes. Kikizas
was formerly a bank clerk,
Ypsilantes a school _ teacher.

Their manner was courteous and
friendly. They spoke frankly.
They declared that they would
welcome the UN Commission of
inquiry to their territory, and
I conveyed back to Athens a
Message from General Markos
to this effect.
Ca Ypsilantes is a young
man of about 27. He wears
a huge mustache, which tends to
make him look much _ older.
Captain Kikizas also sports a
huge mustache, which he con-
tinually twirls as he speaks. He
told me that he had started to
grow this mustache during the
German occupation, when he
had a wager with the British
liaison officer, Colonel Hamilton,
as to which of them would grow
the largest one.

General Markos was true to
the form of the other officers.
Anglo-American in dress, he too
sported the huge mustache.
When our conversations con-
cerning the Andartes haq finish-
ed, he talked with me of char-
acters in English history.

The guerillas are primarily
peasants, with teachers, doctors,
lawyers, priests among them.
But, said Markos, “We are not
simply the peasants, nor is the
movement only communist.”

I must say that if there was
a similar tyranny in Britain to-
day, I firmly believe that we also
would have our ‘resistance
movement’ fighting against it.

Markos is 42' years old, mild,
and was ready to talk. “The
guerillas,” he said, “do not de-
sire to become the government
of Greece. But we desire a gov-
ernment representing the people
and restoring democracy. The
situation could be changed in 24
hours by a political decision, the
formation of a government, in-
cluding EAM, which would purge
the state of fascists and hold
fair elections. If British troops
remain this will not happen,
since they act as a shield for
the present regime.”

NE of the most important

questions I had to ask, of
course, was whether the Andar-
tes got help from the northern
neighbors of Greece. What did
Markos reply? He laughed and
said: “We are Greeks and want
our liberty. We want no foreign
assistance. We want neither
Russian, Yugoslavian, Bulgarian
nor British interference in our
affairs, What we want is to be
able to run our country. We
have no assistance from out-
side,”

He showed me the equipment

the guerillas haye — and I saw
tommy guns, Sten guns, and

other weapons of clearly Brit
ish origin. He described how
they raided the Greek army,
seized equipment, and in that
way kept thefnselves supplied.

As to the atrocity stories, of
which I was told many in Ath-
ens and by the authorities, Mat
kos assured me that every T
cruit in the Andartes was pel
sonally checked on in his village
of origin, and nobody of doubt
ful reputation was accepted. The
death penalty was enforced 0?
criminals who had been ¢&P
tured for the following crimes—
murder of civilians, rape, burt
ing of villagers’ houses, and pil
laging of grain.

I did not only interview and
visit the guerillas of Greece, I
spoke to the premier and t?
other cabinet ministers. I sau
judges, professors, trade union

‘leaders and others who had bee?

dismissed from their jobs bY
the present regime.

I believe that the present
policy of the government i?
Greece—which, I regret to 54¥
is being supported by the Brit
ish authorities—is driving Greece
to disaster. Its policy of persecU-
tion against all opposition grouP®
is creating the very growth My
opposition in the country which
it is officially trying to prevent.

Only a broad government, iD
cluding the EAM, and prepared
to purge the fascists from the
state, can win the confidence of
the whole Greek people. It
argued that EAM is not in pat-
liament, and therefore cannot be
taken into the government. But
the present premier, Maximo5,
was never elected to parliament,
therefore, by the same rule, he
should not be in the government.

The present government should
give way to a coalition, includ-
ing the parties of the Left.
am convinced. that the steps
necessary are: formation of #
new government under the lead-
ership of Sophoulis (Liberal),
with the HAM represented; #
complete purge of traitors and
collaborators from the gover
ment service; a complete am
nesty to Right and Left; the
holding of free elections under
the sponsorship of UN.

These steps are vital in the
Greek national interest. The
country which gave Pericles t0
the world, and which was the
cradle of qemocracy, deserves #
better fate than she now suffers.

pet tS,

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PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 12