Evening star., 1941-03-14
By GEORGE WELLER,


shops and spread its cheer quickly
throughout the nation. To say 1t
was received with wild jubilation
would be to exaggerate, for the in
tense war effort leaves little energy
over for relief of feelings.
The Greeks now seem TO take 1t
for granted that Americas long
arm has crossed the sea and planted
a firm hand on their shoulders
which will remain there as long as
they fight for their independence.
The Greek in the street, 1t is
evident after a few conversations, Is
grateful to the United States with
out being a suppliant. Greece Will
ACCEPT and use to the full every shell
and cannon, every airplane and ma
chine gun that America SENDS her
and if one Greek dies, the Greeks
saw quietly and without bravura, an
other will take his place at the trls-
ger. -
But there is no apparent effort to
nersuade such liaiSon men as torelgn
CORRESPONDENTS to plead for more
aid. The public and official atu-
tudes seem to be identical. Let
the United States assume as
much of the burden OF our de-
fense as America considers morally
and politically her own and no more.
II the Americans are ready 10 SpeIlo
for Greece's liberty, runs the popu-
lar Hellenic attitude, there are
plenty of Greeks ready to die forslt.
Decision Left Up to U. 5.
Whether Greece's war OF self
defense is Americas war is pohu-
cal question which the Greeks seem
tn agree that Washington has de-
cided, and should continue to de-
eide. in the light of American IN
terest only. ,,,
Word of the lease-lend bills
signature reached the writer While
en route from Belgrade to Athens
by a tortuous train journey requlr-
ing nearly four days. The final 19-
hour stretch from Salonlka to
Athens was in a firSt-claSs compart-
nnent designed for six passengers
and occupied by two Thraclan
farmers families, an alrcrattHnan,
a federal trooper, four children,
mountains of luggage, baskets OF
slaughtered chickens, bread, eggs
and oranges, the whole buttreSSeo
bv aisles and lavatories completely
and impossibly filled with hano bag
gage ..e.,.,
EXCEPT for the two men in uniform
all we're third-claSs ticketholders,
but the aisles and doorWayS were
so hacked that the conductor, find
ing them in a f1rSt-clasS sectlon,
could only curse them at a distance
and receive the calm peasant
answer: It's wartime, mister con-
ductor." All were cheerful, patient,
cooperative and extremely conVer-
sational; the writer's modern Greek
quickly lost the patina OF five years
disguise and began to acquire
duency, if not polish.
Meadows Full of Bombs.
The earthquake-shattered city OF
Y,arissa was seen from the train.
About one house in 10 had fallen
In and about half were cracked or
weakened. An officers wife, VINO
boarded at this point, said the flVe
italian planes which bombed the en-
virons after the tremor, all OF Wnlcn
were shot down, scattered thelr
bombs widely in the fields, falling by
a miracle to strike single occu-
pied house.
"The meadows are full of bombs"
she said, and the eyes of the Thra-
clan farmer sparkled with interest.
Across the Vardar marshes ana
when passing Olympus, the track
workers threw down their picks ana
yelled at the passengers:
1--WE want the news, throw us your
papers"
The last Salonika newspapers,
predicting approved of the American
lease-lend bill, were gone by the
time the train began climbing INTO
the Beotian Mountains dominated
by Parnassus..
When it reached the railhead for
Delphi the omen was suddenly full
filled, and for the afternoon papers
brought up from Athens by auto bus
were available. BY now it was pitch
dark. the conductors had gone the
length of the train ordering all cur
tains drawn, and only single blue
painted bulb made barely dlscernlble
in the crammed and airleSS COM
partment.
Questioned on U. S. Aid.
Conversation, however, was in
eessant. A farmer from Siderokastro,
holding the single newspaper sheet
almost to the ceiling to catch the
bulbs ghostly illumination, read
aloud:
Roosevelt signs the bill for aid
10 Greece"
At first there was only thoughtful
silence and then the man with all
the pockets of his vest filled with
hard boiled eggs. observed:
american help is good thing
for us
The passengers closely questioned
the Greek aircraftsman as to
whether any American planes had
vet been flown in Albania, but he
refused to answer. At first the
passengers were indignant because,
for the Greeks. the essence of a
popular war is that every one has a
right to know everything about it,
including high strategy.
1--WE know all about there being
Germans in Bulgaria; why should
you not tell us whether there are
American planes in Greece?" The
aircraftsman shook his head and
folded his lips stubbornly. When the
passengers grew more heated the
federal trooper intervened.
Don't 60 prying after military
secrets" he said. Americas help is
on the way. Let that be enough for
you"
Forgetting the aircraftSman, the