Evening star., 1947-03-10
Story Behind Greece
Should be PubIicized

St0Iy DenIno greece
Should be PubIicized
By Admitting Communist Peril
Truman Could Fortify Policy
By Dapid Laurence
Nearly two years have gone by since
the Nazi armies surrendered, and now
tho United States Is In the midst Of an
other international crisis that could be
the slow start of another world war.
Congress is asked to appropriate money
to help Greece but in reality to stop the
march of Communist Russia.
After World War I, the fear of Bolshe-
vik power in Russia caused the Allies to
embark on expeditions Of aid to the
forces inside Russia which were supposed
to be friendly to democracy. Today, there
IS no such issue but the effort is to save
the Balkans and perhaps all Europe from
Communism.
The bewildered citizen might we'll ask:
whats 1t all about? Wasn't the United
Nations supposed to function and pre-
serve peace? Wasn't every nations SOW
ereignty to be respected? Why Is these
fear that Greece will be taken over bs
another power?"
The truth Is nobody high up in our,
Government wants to call spade by its
right name but wants to camoufiage and
avoid plain speaking so as to refrain
from aggravating an already bad situa-
ticn.
Sooner or later, however, the Ameri-
can people must be told the truth by
their spokesmen. They must be told
that ever since the crucial conferences
at Teheran, Yalta and Potsdam the
aggressive purposes Of Soviet Russia
have given major concern and that
President Roosevelt appeased Russia so
as to persuade that country to help
defeat Japan. The price was high.
U. N. Compromise With Reality"
theoretically the United Nations Is
supposed to keep the peace. If any troops
were to be furnished or aid given, it was
to be the decision of all nations. Unfor-
tunately the statesmen who wrote the
u. N. Charter compromised with reality
and said that internal" matters would
not be interfered with, so now, when it Is
plain that Russia has not only interyened
In the Balkans but by intimidation rules
every one of the Balkan countries except
Greece, there is no illegal" method by
which a countermove Of intervention in
behalf Of the small sovereign nations can
be made. The Greek government has
asked for outside help. so technically
there is no intervention"
The United States now Is being urged
to take over and make show of eco
nomic if not military force, not merely
to stabilize Greece but to indicate to the
people Of Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria,
Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and Poland
that coercion by Russia is not going to
pass unnoticed or even unchallenged.
Presumably they will not give up hope of
being able to throw off the Russian yoke.
Russia is deeply interested, Of course,
in all this demonstration, for the Mos
cow totalitarians do not know whether
the American people are in earnest or
will be goaded into action by some un-
toward incident. Naturally, the Amer
ican strategists hope the demonstration
will suffice and that the expenditure OF
$3.50 100000 or thereabouts to bolster
Greek defenses may impress the Soviet
and the other Balkan states that the
United States is in Europe to stay. 1t
might be worth the money If it works.
The meaning Of such a maneuver
would be clear to Russia. 1t would mean
that if the United States takes the posi-
ton that what happens inside Europe
is of paramount concern, third world
war could some day be fought on issues
growing out of this demonstration,
Russia doesn't want war and America
doesn't want war. But the Russians
think the Americans can be driven out
of Europe altogether and that without
firing a shot or spending any money,
the Communists can have free hand
there.
Firmness Could Be Decisive.
The stage is being set for one Of those
crises where firmness can be of decisive
importance and vacillation can be fatal
Thus in November, 1886, when Hitler
marched into the Rhineland, Britain
quibbled, France pleaded, and the
United States was indifferent. Hitler
was testing the western powers and he
found them divided and unprepared for
q showdown. So he forced the issue.
Not SO long ago, operating through the
puppet, Tito, the Communists made
similar test by shooting down American
,alo
went to the Mediterranean. Tito's sup
porters drew back and he was kept from
precipitating war.
Today, with American armed forces
being weakened by the demand Of many
people in the United States that our
troops come home and expenses be re-
duced, 1t is difficult to make . demon
stration Of strength that can impress
Russia unless it be by air power.
Stripped, however, Of all the camou-
fage, the situation is one of epochal
importance and II the United States
cannot rely on the United Nations to
keep peace in the world, then the sooner
the American people realize they have
been leaning on slender reed the better
it will be for the peace Of the world. 81
If military force alone can stay the
hand of the Russian totalitarians, then
force needs to be exhibited. But 1t would
be better II the President and the Sec
retary Of State took the American
people into their confidence and used
moral force -pitiless publicity. This
means to use candor. Otherwise, there
will be opposition in Congress to the