Victory for Papagos

Six-and-a-half hours after the polls closed in Sunday's general election in Greece, Field Marshal Alexander Papagos was able to claim a landslide victory for his year-old, Gaullist-like Greek Rally Party. With 49% of the popular vote, the party will have 241 seats in the 300-member Parliament. It was the second greatest political victory in modern Greek history, matched only by the Liberal sweep in 1928. The Communists got 10% of the vote, but won not a single seat in Parliament.

Next day King Paul, who a year ago had refused to send for Field Marshal Papagos, though he had then won the largest vote, sent for him and appointed him Premier. The King and the 68-year-old general, who skillfully fought the Fascists in World War II and the Communists in 1949, were once friends and fell out; now the King was at least prepared to recognize that Papagos is the people's choice. The U.S. Embassy in Greece (where $2 billion of U.S. aid has been distributed) hoped for a Papagos victory, but took no open part in the campaign.

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