Evening star., 1944-12-10
Mr.. ChurchiII's Statement

although somewhat clouded by abb
stentions, amounts to an overwhelm-
ing Endorsement of a policy in lib
Grated and conquered areas which
he has defined with the utmost
clarity and candor.
In Belgium, theater where the
maintenance of order is essential to
the Allied offensive, British troops
have thwarted an attempt by armed
left-wingers to overthrow the gov
ernment. They did that in line with
policy laid down by General Eisen-
hover, and Mr.. Churchill told the
House of Commons that he proposes
to adhere to that policy.
In Italy the picture is somewhat
different. A war is still being fought
there, and Mr.. Churchill expresses
some concern for the Allied lines of
communication from Naples to the
north. There is no armed revolt in
progress in Italy, however, and the
Italian controversy stems entirely
from British opposition to the sug-
gested installation of Count Sforza
as Foreign Minister. In response to
Italian inquiries, the British replied
that they did not think Sforza would
be "a particularly good choice" Mr..
Churchill denies that Britain's
veto" of Count Sforza amounted to
more than that, but he makes it
clear that he does not regard Sforza
as a true and trustworthy man."
and that he would not put "the
slightest confidence" in any govern
ment in which he was a dominating
member.
The Prime Minister turned then to
the tragic spectacle Of Greece, where
bloody civil war is in full swing. The
decision for British occupation of the
Athens area was made at the Quebec
conference with President RooSe-
velt, and, with other things, the COM
mitment was to pave the way for
the establishment of law and order
and the installment of the Greek
government which we and the great
bulk of the United Nations had for
mally recognized"
In that process, however, the Brit
iSh soon came into collision with the
armed forces of ELIAS, principal
Greek resistance group, which at
tackled the capital city of Athens for
reasons which seem to varyswith the
synapathies of those who Undertake
to state them. Mr.. Churchill is un-
willing to "stigmatize" ELIAS as a
whole, but he makes no secret of his
belief that its dominating elements
are striving to seize control of Greece
by force OF arms, and that, he says,
is something that Britain will not
permit. Il repudiate the idea" he
declared, that democracy can stand
upon the violent seizure of power by
unrepresentative men or by terror
ism and the killing of political op-
ponents." A free election will be
held in Greece when it can be held
freely, Mr.. Churchill said, and not
before.
That, in brief, is Mr.. Churchills
position, not the least of it's virtues
being that no one can misunderstood
it. In contrast, our own position is
unclear. We seemingly have enun-
ciated certain principles, but the
State Department, by employing
cryptic language and declining to
elaborate, has left them susceptible
of varying interpretations. We have
rebuked the British for their stand
on Count Sforza. Does that mean
that we challenge their right to ex-
press an opinion in response to an
inquiry as to their attitude concern
Ing prospective top official in
conquered country? BY quoting one
sentence and omitting another
equally significant sentence from Mr..
Churchills statement of December
5, the State Department apparently
has taken a stand against Britain's
policies in Greece. Does that mean
that we would let the Greeks fight it
out among themselves, conceding the
right to rule to the faction which
happens to have the most guns and
the best organization?
These and similar questions are
not answered by anything that our
State Department has said. Leaving
a forty-minute conference with Sec
retary of State Stettinius following
Mr.. Churchill's statement to Par
lament, however, Lord Halifax, the
British Ambassador, announced that
the United States and Britain have
achieved understanding" on the
Greek and Italian political issues.
That, too, is ambiguous. It implies
that something less than agreement
has been reached, but if it means
that the two governments under
stand one another's point of view,
that is distinct gain, even at this
rather late date. A great deal of
confusion might have been avoided,
and the seeds of future trouble would
not have been planted, had the
understanding been achieved sooner.
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