Evening star., 1940-10-28
Athens
Continued From First Page.)

ana 10 nave occupied small lSlaQQ
with an airdrome nearby.
(ReuterS, British news agency,
quoted the Ankara radio today
as saying Greeces fleet was be-
ing assembled in the harbor of
Salonika)
Crete, reported being occupied by
landing parties from other British
warshipS, lies in the Eastern Medi-
terranean southeast of the Greek
mainland.
Still other reports, these from re-
liable neutral sources and not Off
cially confirmed, said Turkish troops,
responding to the Greek call for
help, were marching into Thrace and
Eastern Greece.
In Athens the government of
strong man" Gen. John Metaxas
announced that Britain was send
ing unlimited support"
COmmunique Issued.
Less than II hours after the Ital-
ians had attacked by land and air,
the government issued this COM
munique:
Premier MetaXaS conferred early
this morning with the British Min
lister, who told him that Greece in
her fight against Italy would have
the unreserved support of England
to the fullest extent British sup
port will be unlimited.
"MetaxaS also conferred with the
,irfa t0 i'm,
mediately afterwards communicated
by telephone with the Greek Minis
ter in Ankara. The Premier later
communicated by telephone with
the President of the Turkish Repub-
lie, Inonu"
The urgent conversations with the
highest authority in Turkey were
taken as evidence that Greeces
dictator is making every effort to
bring the Turks in on his side.
Metaxas also talked with Yugoslav
leaders.
Turkey and Britain have a mutual
assistance pact, but the Turks are
not directly bound to 60 to the aid
of Greece.
No Battle Results Known.
The British fleet was reported to
have made contact with the Italian
fleet somewhere in Greek seas dur
ing the morning, but there was no
announcement of the result.
BY early afternoon Athens had
had six air raid alarms and Italian
bombers had passed over the an
cient capital four times, but no
bombs were dropped here.
The Athens airport, II miles away,
and the port, Piralus, about 4 miles
from the city, were raided, however.
The Greeks said one hangar was
damaged slightly. Port facilities
and buildings also were damaged
by Is planes at PatraS, the port,
with 4 killed and II injured.
While Athens anti-aircraft guns
barked spaSmodically, the people Of
the capital marched either to the
front or in enthusiastic parades in
the streets.
Immediately after the announce
ment that the Nation was at war,
crowds sacked and destroyed the
Offices of the Italian air and steam
ship lines and ripped down italian
flags. They marched, also, past the
Italian Legation, but did not harm it.
Italians and Nazis Jailed.
Police rounded up all Italians
and Germans in the country and
put them in jail. Martial law was
enforced.
All the street demonstrators car
ried both Greek and Turkish flags,
for the Greeks confidently believe
the Turks will help them. A few
British flags were seen.
There was little news from the
front, beyond the statement that
Greek troops were fighting all along
the Albanian frontier. The govern
ment said two Italian bombers had
been shot down somewhere in
Greece"
From early morning, a constant
stream of trucks, loaded with newly
mobilized troops, wound down the
avenues and careened around cor
ners, heading north.
The men called up under general
mobilization orders are all between
the ages of 20 and 43. Youths under
20 and men over the limit were
wearing arm bands of the air de-
fenSe corps. They will black out
Athens tonight.
1t was learned that Premier Me-
taxas had talked with President
Inonu of Turkey for Is minutes, but
the result of their conversation re-
manned secret. The Premier also
telephoped Yugoslavian government
leaders and talked to them even
longer
Italians Jump Deadline.
italian motorized units thrust
across the mountainous Greek
italian frontier at $50 am, half al
hour before the expiration of an
Italian ultimatum, a Greek COM
munique said.
BY noon Athens had undergone
two air raid alarms, and In the Sec
ond anti-aircraft batteries went into
action when two italian planes were
seen high over the ancient city.
The Corinth and Tatoi airdromes, Ia