The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1946-04-04
As The Council Waits
By ANNE o'HARE MCCORMICK

The world does not stand still while the
/ Security Council waits for answers to the aues-
tons it has addressed to Moscow and Teher-
an. The Soviet press is captious but notice
ably more restrained than usual in it's COM
ments on the clash. There is no suggestion
that Russia has any thought OF withdrawing
from the organization she helped to launch.
Meantime, elections are being held in
Greece. Negotiations between the 'rebels and
the representative of the Netherlands for
self-government in Indonesia have progressed
to a point where they are to be concluded in
The Hague. Talks are about to begin in New
Delhi between the Indian leaders and the three
members of the British Cabinet who are
charged to find formula for the independence
of India.
Almost unnoted in the clamor of the other
events, the Allied plan for the economic future
of Germany decision of fateful conse-
quences for Europe il carried out = has been
finally released. A mutual security pact has
been signed by Turkey and Iraq. Great Bri-
tain has relinquished her mandate in Trans
Jordan and turned the Government over to
its Arab ruler, En1ir Abdullah.
These things happened in the last few days
while the Security Council was in session.
They indicate that the reorganization Of the
world is in full process with or without
the United Nations, with or without peace
conference. But it is doubtful if they would
have happened so fast and furiously if the
UN were not il existence. The fact that it got
down at once to live and radical questions
sharpens every International question and af-
fects every decision There is no need to point
the connection between the disputes bfought
before the Council and the problems of India,
lndlones1a, Greece, Turkey, 1raq, the control of
Germany. These are not just overtones in the
debate; they are part of it.
Here is Greece, for instance voting for the
first time in decade. Greece was dictator
ship before the war 1t was possible to i'm.
pose a dictator on a passionately political
people because the divisions were so deep not
only between Royalists and Republicans, Com.
munists and Liberals, but between the count
less factions within these parties, that party
government was paralyzed, as it was in Italy
before Mussolini Also, as in Italy, the King
acquiesced in the dictatorship, and therefore
the country is as violent about the monarchy
as about the fight for party control.
1t would be extraordinary if the repressions
of the pre-War years, the grinding misery of
war, occupation and postwar did not aggra-
vate the ineradicabe factionalism in Greek
politics. 1t would be strange if it we're not
also torn by great power struggles. AS his
toric ally Of Britain at the outpost of the
Soviet zone where the Balkans push into the
Mediterranean, Greece is in the same posi-
ton vis-a-Vis Russian ambitions as Iran, and
the Russians are using the ceavages and the
EAM in exactly the same way as they are
using the Tudeh in Persia
In London Mr.. Vishinsky tried to Graw a
parallel between British forces in Greece and
Russian forces in Iran. They were threat to
the peace, he charged; but the difference is
that the Greek Government invited the British
to stay, at least until after the elections There
is every indication, moreover that they real
ly want to get out, though perhaps, after the
Iran experience, they will not be so quick to
withdraw as they planned While it goes with
out saying that any foreign army has an in
tluence in the country in which it is stationed,
the British took exceptional measures to in
sure fair and free election. The Russians
refused to join in the supervision of the poll
ing, but at British insistence more than 1906
international observers, including a large
American contingent, have been in the coun-
try for weeks to watch the preparations as
well as the election itself Their report, which
will not be issued until after they have sifted
the record will be the verdict on the conduct of
the elections. There was violence on both
sides, in royalist strongholds in the Pelopon-
nesus and Fam territory in Macedonia but
from this distance it seems no worse than the
street battles in Athens this reporter witness
ed between the wars when internal differences
reached the shooting stage.
The most interesting facet of the elections
was the failure of the EAM boycott 20 keep
more than about 80 per cent of their own fol-
lowers from the polls. More than go per cent
of the eligible voters voted, and while Leftist
absentions were numerous enough to add
weight to the Rightist vote, the proportion of
voters was about the same as in the 1896
election. The results will not be known for
several days, but victory for the anti-Com-
munist, more or less Royalist, bloc led by
Constantine Tsaldaris is predicted.
Russia, backing the EAM wished the cleo
tons postponed. The size Of the VOTE despite
the boycott. is bound to raise a question
whether the Gesire sprang from the unreadi--
ness of Fam to show it's strength. Yesterday,
in the Soviet zone in Berlin, the Socialists
were suddenly forbidden to vote, perhaps for
the same reason, on the merger with the
Communists the Russians have been promo
ting. The parallel is interesting because it
shows that the secret ballot is still an en-
barassing and potential weapon in the clash
Of minds being dramatized at Hunter College,
New York Times.