Rebels Are Now Bested in Greece

Grey River Argus, 9 August 1948, Page 5

Rebels Are Now Bested in Greece

FUGITIVES IN THE RANGES (Rec. 10.10) LONDON, August 8 Reuter’s correspondent at Athens says: General James Van Fleet, the military head of the American Aid Mission in Greece said: "Markos (the leader of the guerrillas in Greece) nas lost the game.” A Greek communique claimed fresh gains in the Nestorian area of the Granmos range, and said that villages which had been evacuated by the guerrillas in the battle area were deserted, and hundreds of the guerrillas were wandering on the wooded east(enr slopes of the range. 1 An Associated Press correspondent says: A Greek Army General Staff spokesman confirmed that Markos’s headquarters have fled to Nikolitsa, in Albania. He said Markos had between eight thousand and ten thous- | and troops still in Greek mountains, and, because of difficult terrain, it would take the Government troops at least six weeks to clear the guerrillas out of the area. Mr Dwight Griswold, who has concluded his duty as Chief of the American Aid Mission to Greece told Reuter’s Berlin correspondent that he was not satisfied with the co-operation which the Greek Government had given his mission. The Government was not willing to make “a tough economic decision” requiring more austerity for the Greeks, which was necessary. The outlook in Greece had greatly improved both economically and militarily in the past, year.