Evening star., 1947-12-31
New Tension Over Greece

operating from bases IN NEARBY Apdllid,
the Communicated Greek guerrillas are
fighting hard to capture besieged Konitsa.
Their apparent objective Is to make the
place the "capital' Of the newly invented
First Provisional Democratic Govern
ment of Free Greece"-a high-sounding bit
of humbug meaning "agent of the Krem-
lin" or "tool OF Soviet policy in the
Balkans"
Humbug or not, however, this rebel
regime-whose determination to wage
civil war is being confirmed around
Konitsa-conceivably can stir up danger
Gus international situation not unlike the
one that obtained when Generalissimo
Franco cut loose in Spain with the sup
port of the Rome-Berlin Axis. What we
have this time is Communist revolution
ary force aided and comforted by three
Soviet satellites acting only as the Kremlin
wants them to act. If these three-Al
bania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia-should
now extend diplomatic recognition to the
ersatz Free Greeks" the United Nations
will face its most critical challenge to
date.
For such recognition, even if not forth
coming from the Kremlin itself, would
serve as clear notice to the world of the
Soviet Unions resolve to do this: To
accelerate it's efforts to overthrow the
present legitimate government of Greece
and force the country behind the iron
curtain as prelude to eventual Red
dominance over the strategically crucial
Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle
East. Under the Truman doctrine, the
United States-with the overwhelming
support of the United Nations-has under
taken to check that threat through a
program of economic and military aid to
uphold Greek independence. But if
Moscow's satellites recognize the rebels,
that will mean that the Stain Dictator
ship is stubbornly intent upon continuing
and intensifying the struggle. 1t will
mean, further, that our own Nation in
particular and the U. N. in general will
have to decide either to counter with new
and stronger measures or take the risk of
abandoning Greece-an abandonment that
would be shattering to American prestige
and to all faith in the concept Of inter-
national action to restrain aggression and
preserve peace.
It is because of this danger that our
State Department has just warned that
any move to recognize the Free Greeks"
would have Serious Implications an at
titude shared by the British Foreign Office,
which sees in the possibility the danger of
grave deterioration in the world situation" :"
The same kind Of warning has been issued
In Salonika in a resolution unanimously
passed by the Soviet-boycotted United
Nations Balkan watchdog" commission.
In the words of the resolution, such recog-
milton, followed by direct or indirect aid"
would constitute threat to international
peace and security"-a statement clearly
implying that U. N. action of an excep-
tionally serious nature would be called for.
The warnings, of course, are addressed
primarily to the Kremlin, but there is no
assurance that they will be Needed If
they are ignored, If the Soviet satellites
extend recognition, the Balkan stage will
be set for events requiring grave decisions
by both the United States and the United
Nations as a whole. It would be q foolish
thing, therefore, to minimize the crisis
that may be in the making at Konitsa.