Five Crises

Europe's economic and political crisis was reflected in the crises of five cabinets --those of Greece, Italy, Belgium, Rumania and the Polish Government in Exile. But the focus was on Greece. Greece was dangerously near, if not already in, civil war.

Blood in Athens. It was a sun-drenched Sunday. But British Tommies and grey-clad Greek police rimmed Athens' Constitution Square. Premier George Papandreou had forbidden a demonstration by the Communist-controlled EAM. Presently the sound of thousands of people marching and chanting swelled and ebbed like surf. The marchers broke a police cordon. They carried flags of Russia, Greece, Britain, the U.S. Men, women & children surged toward Government Palace. Police Chief Paunias Ebert ordered: "Fire!"

Scores of demonstrators flattened against the pavement, some with wounds, some for safety. The fighting continued for hours. At least 20 demonstrators were killed, 150 persons, including a few police, injured. By nightfall Monday British troops had declared martial law, imposed a curfew, disarmed 800 guerrillas.

EAM's Central Committee called a general strike. Said Premier Papandreou: "The extreme left wing is preparing the way for civil war." Hurriedly, Papandreou's Cabinet, minus six resigned EAM members, met, talked of forming a new government to avert further bloodshed.

EAM was demonstrating against the Government's ultimatum ordering guerrilla forces to disarm and disband by Dec. 10. A fortnight ago British Lieut. General Ronald MacKenzie Scobie had conferred with the EAM guerrilla leader, leftist General Stephanos Saraphis, and the EDES' leader, rightist General Napoleon Zervas. Zervas agreed to disarm his followers. Saraphis would not. General Scobie warned all Greeks: "I am convinced that in many parts of this country freedom of the people does not exist. ... [I am prepared to] stand by the side of the present constitutional Government until it has a national army under its banners, and is able to hold free elections." He gave EAM the choice: obey or be suppressed. General Scobie proposed to fight unrest with food. For in Greece, as in other parts of liberated Europe, hunger and political disorder went together. For Greece last week the question was: would food or civil war get there first?

Crisis in Rome. In Italy Premier Ivanoe Bonomi was still trying to find somebody to join his Cabinet. Communists, Socialists and Actionists had tried to form a cabinet around Count Carlo Sforza. But British Ambassador Sir Noel Charles blocked the move. Britain, he said, did not consider Sforza a reliable man. Said Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden: "Italy has not been our ally . . . throughout this war." Eden on Sforza: "He told us he would pursue a certain course. . . . He did not pursue it. ... Recently he has been . . . working against the government of Bonomi. . . . We would prefer not to have a man . . . who has been working against his Prime Minister." Italians united in denouncing Eden. But they could not unite on a new cabinet.

Lieutenant-General of the Realm Crown Prince Umberto was trying to use the crisis to strengthen the discredited monarchy. Few political parties wanted to share the onus of governing Italy under Allied control during an economic crisis. All were waiting for the north to be liberated. Meanwhile recurrent street fighting between monarchists and republicans --a new thing in Rome--was a grave portent.

Unrest in Rumania. In Rumania, Radio Bucharest suddenly went on the air with an unexplained warning: "[On] all elements in the population and administration that cause incidents with members of the United Nations forces [the Red Army] . . . the most severe penalties will be imposed." Radio Bucharest flashed another message: "Premier Constantin Sanatescu and his entire Cabinet have resigned." No details were given.

Bayonets in Belgium. Following a fortnight of riots in Brussels, the Belgian Chamber of Deputies met behind a wall of British tanks and bayonets, voted, 116 to 12, to retain Premier Hubert Pierlot. In Brussels, there were many strikes. But most of Belgium was quiet. The Communists continued to shout: "The Pierlot Cabinet is condemned by the mass of people." Through the newly opened port of Antwerp, people expected Allied food.

The Passing of Poland. In London the Polish Cabinet crisis simmered. Premier Tomasz Arcizewski was trying to hold together a Cabinet of anti-Russian Socialists, democrats and laborites without the participation of ex-Premier Mikolajczyk's big Peasant Party. Arcizewski was not continuing the negotiations with Russia. Said the Manchester Guardian: "As the new Prime Minister intimated a change of policy, little doubt exists that he will have to proceed in an atmosphere of international isolation."

Other British papers hinted that the Government might recall Sir Owen O'Malley, its Ambassador to the Polish Government in Exile. As Sir Owen is in London, this would be somewhat like calling him from across the street. But it would be a grave blow to the London Poles, a loud hint to Russia that Britain no longer considered the Polish Government in Exile a responsible Government. In liberated Poland, demonstrators demanded immediate recognition of the Polish Committee of National Liberation.

Britain's Policy. Europe's crises were threshed out in Britain's House of Commons. To a perturbed and sometimes heckling House, Foreign Secretary Eden explained that Britain's policy in liberated Europe has a threefold purpose: 1) to achieve victory; 2) to keep order behind the lines of the Allied armies; 3) to provide fair and untrammeled elections of governments and parliaments, free acceptance or rejection of royal houses.

"In trying to pursue this policy in a state of confusion and tension such as Europe is in, we are not dominated ... by a desire to set up a government of the right in this place, or of the left in that. We're trying to give the countries concerned the best chance they could have in expressing their own will. ... [In these countries] young people have known little else than working against the law. It is bound to take a little time for them to adapt themselves to new conditions."

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