Evening star., 1944-12-05
Greece
Continued From First PageD

the EAM refused to disband its
militia, the ELIAS.
Mr.. Churchill deplored the fight
Ing, and declared I'VE and our Amer
lean Allies are doing our utmost to
give assistance, and our troops are
acting to prevent bloodShed.'
I'VE shall not hesitate to use the
considerable British Army now in
Greece, and being reinforced, to see
that law and order are maintained"
Mr.. Churchill said.
He said he was not prepared, on
information so far available, to say
who started the firing"
The question of whether the Greek
people form themselves into a mon.
archy or republic must be left fol
them to decide later, he told Com.
mons, but in the meantime "the
authority of the constitutional Greek
government must be accepted and
enforced throughout the country"
The armed force must be de-
pendent on the Greek government
the Prime Minister said mo gov
ernment can have a sure foundation
SO long as there are private armies
owing allegiance to group, party
or theology instead of the state and
nation.
Although these facts should be
clear to ALL the left wing and Com
munist ministers have resigned
from the Greek government at this
dangerous crisis rather than i'm
plement measures to which they had
already agreed for the replacement
of the EAM police and guerrillas by
regular national services
The British government. he said
wants to help the Greek people
and assist them in every way pos
sible, but We cannot do this If
the tommyguns which were provid-
ed for use against the Germans
are now used in an attempt to i'm
pose by violence a Communist die
tatorship without the people being
able to express their wishes
The only Communist member of
the House, William GALLAGHER,
shouted "Why'-in connection with
a statement that the Greek Com
munist ministers resigned.
Mr.. Churchill shot back:
II say they have resigned. I am
stating the facts. I thought the
House would like a full answer"
In addition, he asserted, the left
wing EAM leaders called a general
strike which was for the time being
preventing food sent from Britain
and the United States from reach
ing the mouths of the population
we are trying to feed"
Later. the Prime Minister said ii
would be easy for the British to al
low this government crisis ito de-
generate, as it would, into anarchy
or Communist dictatorship"
He emphasized, however, that
Having gone so far" Britain should
not turn back or take our hand
from the plough"
Mr.. Churchill assured the House
that the British would take care tc
see that the Greek government it is
supporting was not used "to faster
any rule of faction upon the Greek
people" and that they would have
the fullest opportunity for a free
election"
The government of Premier
Papandreou three days ago rep.
resented all parties, including the
Communist and EAM represent.
atives, Mr.. Churchill said, but "they
left suddenly on the eve of a quite
evident attempt to overthrow a set.
tied government which was on foot
DR.. Haden Guest, Labor Member
from Islington, asked If it were moi
a fact that an Athens demonstra.
ton which was fired on consisted
of 200 unarmed children and youth!
with a sprinkling of adults. Mr.
Churchill replied:
$50 far as the incident is con-
cerned, / told the House that tn,
British government reserves judg'
ment upon that. 1t was a shocking
thing that firing should be made by
the police force on unarmed chill.
dren. That is matter we shoule
all reprobate. We should also repro.
bate the massing or leading of large
numbers of unarmed children to {
demonstration center which hae
been banned by the government il
. city full of armed men liable al
any moment to explosion
Greece is faced with the mos
desperate economic and financia
problems apart from civil war, which
we are trying to STOP" the Prim,
4