Death of Convenience

With iron censorship fettering the Press last week, shocking reports circulated by word of mouth throughout the Peninsula and the Isles of Greece. On the Island of Crete, stronghold of foxy onetime Premier Eleutherios Venizelos, a holiday was declared, bonfires were lighted and there was dancing in the streets.

"The King's friends have poisoned Kondylis, hurrah! hurrah!! HURRAH!!!" rejoiced the ruffians of Crete. Few if any Greeks above the ruffian class believed anything so unlikely and outrageous. It was convenient, though, for newly restored King George II that His Majesty's embittered opponent, the deposed Dictator of Greece, Field Marshal George Kondylis, had just died with extreme suddenness "of a heart attack." In Greece it was inevitable that a death so convenient should seem, ipso facto, another case of foul play. The Field Marshal was a ruthless man with many ruthless enemies.

By no means dead are the Greek generals and assorted officers of all ranks who, under Field Marshal Kondylis, suppressed the Revolution which sent crafty old Eleutherios Venizelos fleeing from Crete to Paris last year, and sent to exiled King George II in London an invitation to resume his Throne (TIME, Nov. 18). Dictator Kondylis, a great admirer of Dictator Mussolini, had counted on running Greece under George II in pro-Italian fashion. But exiled George II, deep in debt to British bankers, is also under heavy personal obligation to the British Royal Family. Therefore in Athens the restored King showed himself anti-Italian at once, soon forced out Dictator Kondylis, ordered a general election. The Field Marshal swore that if his parliamentary henchmen did not win a majority, his military henchmen would lead a coup d'etat to oust King George. Last week the Kondylis cohorts had not won their majority, but Kondylis' sudden death did not disrupt the cohorts. Almost as though they had known Death was about to strike, the busily intriguing officers, some hours before the field marshal was stricken, were conferring with General Pitsikas, Admiral Economou and General Reppas, all doughty would-be Dictators.

The King hastily ordered a lying-in-state for the Field Marshal in Athens' Cathedral, sent condolences to his mother and three sisters. By this time the Army officers had elaborated their policy and sent to George II an "oral manifesto." This warned His Majesty not to dare to grant amnesty to pro-Venizelos officers chased out of Greece during the last Revolution. Obviously the King was suspected of being in a secret pact with M. Venizelos to bring the "Great Exile" back to Greece and make him Premier for the ninth time. Although no doubt willing to sell out for a reasonable price and string along with this arrangement, the Army and Air Force officers last week closed by menacingly informing His Majesty that they "can count on'' the support not only of the regular armed forces of Greece but also that of the constabulary and police, a daring boast.

The double paradox of making the Great Exile again Premier of Greece is that he heads the Republican Party, and that his last revolution was against the restoration of George II to the Throne. But in England almost the only Greek statesman whose name is at all familiar is Venizelos. His glowing speeches about Justice, the Rights of Oppressed Peoples, Democracy and Starving Greek Women & Children at the Versailles Peace Conference still stir responsive chords in London. With Venizelos as Premier and George II as King, the British public could have a comfortable feeling that perhaps unruly Greece was developing into a Constitutional Monarchy instead of a Dictatorship.

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