Dr. Alex Bebler
Immediately before the arrival in Athens of Secretary of State Marshall, who visited Greece, according to the New York Times of October 17, 1948, in order to "see for himself why, even with the help of American millions, the Greek Government has failed to wipe out its guerilla enemies," the United States Ambassador in Greece, Mr. Grady, publicly admitted that the American Government was studying the question of further increasing the armed forces of the Athens government and sending more American material to Greece. It is interesting to note that Ambassador Grady added that the publication of similar news in the Greek press was unfortunate.
Let us ask, why is an increase of American military aid necessary? The answer is found on the one hand in the complete failure of all efforts to subdue the Greek people and their democratic armed forces; and on the other hand in the general American policy of preparing for a new war. This is what the Athens rightist newspaper Ethuikos Kinks of September 22, 1948, had to say on this matter: "After the credits of 250 million dollars for Greece and Turkey are spent, the United States Government will ask the Congress to authorize new military credits for Greece. This further assistance to Greece will no longer be tied to the struggle against the bandits but will be in the framework of the general policy and strategy of the U.S.A. in the Eastern Mediterranean." In other words, increased United States military intervention in Greece will strengthen Greece as an American strategic stronghold within the framework of the general expansionistic plan of the United States of America in this part of the world and of the general plan for the establishment of American world domination.
It is for this reason that the 'Western press and the representatives of the United States of America and of the Athens Government advocate the necessity of "closing" the northern frontiers of Greece. Are the military measures contemplated in Greece of such a nature that the smokescreen of United Nations commissions is no longer sufficient, and that an actual iron curtain is needed?
The Athens Government, which is supported and encouraged in its domestic and foreign policy by the United States of America and Great Britain, and instigated by them — as for instance, by the war-mongering provocations of General Van Fleet, who in his orders of the day, attacks and calumniates Albania; by the demonstrations of the United States Navy and Air Force; by the flight of United States Flying Fortresses from the United States of America to Greece and their demonstrative flights over Greek towns; by the presence of the Anti-Balkan Commission in Greece; as well as by all their other measures of military, political and diplomatic assistance — has increased its aggressive activities on the borders of the northern neighbours of Greece, and is putting forward more and more impudently its unjustified expansionist claims, especially against Albania. And from the beginning of 1948 until the end of August the units of the Athens Government created not less than 130 frontier incidents and military provocations on the Yugoslav frontier alone, counting only those incidents for which the Yugoslav Government was forced to lodge diplomatic protests.
In illustration, we shall mention only a few cases.