Greece Is A Tragic Land Of Wordless Fear

Chronicle (Levin), 11 February 1948, Page 4

Greece Is A Tragic Land Of Wordless Fear

Simple and usually wordless fear is still the most important influence in Greece. This deep-rooted insecurity has stopped reconstruction, for any will to reconstruct is dead, and as long as this insecurity exists- there is no hope for Greece, writes a eorrespondent. Nq amount of American dollars and no number of mountain guns are going to make any difference to Greece. Off and on the nation has been at war since 1912. She has been invaded by all her neighbours and has fought with cold ierocity against herself . NoW ,that the ' country is again a battlefield, where biekering between East and West has turnsed to brawling, the people are terrified of what eonies next.

' Greece can probably show the worst example of . the paralysis -that has gripped most' European'.' countries since the war. The Greeks now beiieve- that the . world owes them. a,living • theyi-reiy'/whQlly onToreigh.^* aid" and accept it as a Tight.* "Self-help" has become an impertinent suggestion. The thick, -well-upholstered men and enamelled women who glide around the town in imported cars are scarcely affected by the .fighting in the Epirus -and Macedonia. Rationing is a farce. In no way is this war economy or even crisis economy, and it is every man for himself while there is still -time. Because confidence in the drachma currency does not exisi, everyone who can bargain for his owri wages eomputes them in gold pounds. Cooks, secretaries, dance teachers, and company directors ask to be paid in gold pounds or the equivalent . in drachmas, and so their wages keep pace with inflation. In many places in- the mountains - the Government has simply been abandoned. People pay tribute to whoever is strong ehough to demand it. . /In fact, the Greek, people are sick " and their troubles are symptoms of a wider disorder. For Greece there is no hope until a compromise between East and West has been found.