Evening star., 1949-05-14
Greek Armies Forced
To Battle 10000
Gangster GuerriIIas
Formers and Villagers
Terrorized by Groups
Who Escape Via Borders
By Dorothy Thompson

ATHENS CBy AirmaiD - In
Greece have heard foreign visi-
tors say contemptuously. The
Greek Government admits there
are at most 10000 fighting guer-
rillas while the Greek army has
1877 900 men. Why can't they clean
up?" The implication is that the
Greek army is without morale and
that the population is siding with
the guerrillas.
Wait a minute. The United
States is 20 times as large and
populous as Greece, and unlike
Greece there is more than a small
margin of wealth in our own coun-
try between ourselves and star
vation. But suppose we had 600.-
900 gangsters-almost the size of
our proposed new Army-organized
In units throughout the country
under single. high disciplined
command. Suppose their object
. was TO disorganize the country by
terrorizing farmers. kidnapping
children. blowing up bridges, burn
ing crops and wrecking factories,
and that they did this. not by
open attack. but by moving in
small armed gangs, striking at
night.
Villages Terr0rized.
Suppose they had so terrorized
the small towns and farmers that
3 IL 100000 villagers and farmers
had fed TO our larger cities for
protection. where there was no
housing except makeshift camps,
and that all the fields and fac
: tories thus deserted were put out
out OF production? Suppose fur
ther that these gangsterS had gone
into action after war which had
ended in four years occupation
by a foreign enemy. who had dis
armed us, smashed our ports.
wrecked our railroads and stripped
the country.
And, further, suppose that in
stead OF friendly Canada and
Mexico on our borders - both
weaker than we-surrounding us
were countries with four times our
population and resources, and that
the borders were wild mountains
with many passes leading from
them to us. Then suppose that
our neighbors were supporting
the gangsters so when things
looked too hot they could al
ways escape into Canada or Mex
leo to refrain, rest. hospitalize and
get weapons and supplies. and
could never be pursued beyond
those borders because then we
would be invaders"
Suppose. finally, it was the OBJ
ject of the gangsters-when the
country was so demoralized that
everyone was running around In
circles-to seize the government
and detach Texas and California
In order to make an "independ-
ent" state SO that the two pro-
gangster neighbors would be con-
ynected with each other. and we
would thereafter be in their
squeeze. -
How many soldiers and police
and how much external aid do
you think we would need to clean
up such a situation?
HE.-~ n~3x~us K{lI~H
Yet that has been the situation
of Greece. At the end OF the
German occupation, EAM and
ELIAS, Communicated. held the
whole country except the center
of Athens. Under order of Wins
ton Churchill, British forces in
Athens acted and drove them
back into the hills. leaving a
graveyard Of British dead in the
Athens suburbs.
OF the $4,000 soldiers and Of
ficers In the Greek army, only
some 1000 can be used for COM
bat. Every bridge. air strip, power
plant and large town requires a
protective garrison. Every stra-
tegical road must be swept for
mines.
In Greece one can zee the ad-
vantages possessed by small gangs,
often In peasant clothes. who
operate with TINT. dynamite. time
bombs, and small mines placed
In roads and fields and with the
strategy of terror. 1t Is not q
war of troops against troops. but
Of order against chaos. Of main
tenance and reconstruction against
destruction.
The Soviets. who designed this
type Of war. have boasted that no
regular forces can defeat guerril-
p las. But I am convinced that
Greece. with American military
and economic aid, will disprove
this. And on disproving 1t rests
civilization itself.
- 49,. n.M auu