3.1 THE SPLENDOR AND MISERY OF “ADORED” AIMS - Part 02

want to see any more Macedonians living in Greek occupied Macedonia.”

There is also the other side of the story; what Greece did to achieve its aims in its role in exterminating the Macedonians from Greek occupied Macedonia. Greece enacted a number of laws to make things nice and legal!

It enacted Decree “Z” on December 7, 1947, which stated that: “All persons abroad who express anti-national sentiments are to be stripped of their Greek citizenship.”

It enacted Decree “N” on January 20, 1948, which stated that: “The properties of those persons who participated in the ‘bandit’ war are to be confiscated.”

It enacted Law 2536/53 which dealt with: “The settlement and resettlement of border regions.”

It enacted Law 3958/1959 which dealt with “The property of the refugees.”

It enacted Law 660/1977 which dealt with “The reparation and ownership of refugees.”

And lastly the Greek government in 1985 enacted Law no.1540 making provision for the return of confiscated properties to political emigrants, read political refugees. The wording used in the legislation was again unjustly circumspect. It defines political emigrants for whom the law shall have application limited to those who are “Greeks by genus”. The term ‘Greek by genus’ is a term used by Greek authorities for all those who identify themselves as being ‘ethnic Greek’ (even though such a thing does not exist).

This is what Greece did to make sure the Macedonians from Greek occupied Macedonia would never return to their ancestral homes… which means that after all these laws were enacted, with regards to our rights, we have been placed in a worse position than we were even before that dreadful war had started.

And to add insult to our injuries, when Markos returned to Greece, after the Greek Civil War had ended, he was welcomed with hugs by the Athens press at Athens airport as the Chief of Staff of the armed forces of Greece who fought in the Civil War. At that point a journalist from the weekly “Epikera” asked him a question alluding to the “struggle” and if it was worth it. Markos replied: “The sense was that the Slavo-Macedonians were driven out of the northern parts of Greece and that Macedonia remains Greek.” (See “Nova Makedonija”, February 25, 1992.)

This was said by Markos Vafiadis, the main culprit who led DAG during the so-called Greek Civil War and who contributed to this disaster in which so many lives were lost. He was a colonist from Asia Minor brought to Greek occupied Macedonia in 1927. His role in the war was to lead DAG as a General and, as he said “he fought to preserve Greece by driving the Macedonians out of their homeland”… This has been our fate so that the Christian Turkish colonists can have more of our lands and that Greece can live in the glory of knowing that Greek occupied Macedonia is only populated by “pure Greeks and Greeks by genus”… even though none of them are Greeks… But that does not matter! What matters is that they are not Macedonians!!

It is understandable why the so called Greeks wanted the Macedonians out of Greek occupied Macedonia but it is still not clear why Tito and Yugoslavia wanted them out? What was Tito’s take in all this and why did he sell us out?

It is interesting to know what Tito thought when he spoke with Fitzroy McLean during a meeting. See: “Μελετες για τον εµφυλιο πολεµο (1945−1949)” (Analysis of the Civil War (1945-1949) p. 336/337, article by Joze Pirjevichch. FO371/78716/R4691.

With the Tito-Stalin break and after the loss of the Greek Civil War.

“... The meeting that took place with Tito on May 5, 1949 was a prerequisite to McLean’s mission. It was a dinner meeting during which many issues and layers of issues were discussed concerning Yugoslavia and its position, i.e. relationship with the West. Some of these issues applied to Greece. Tito did not hide the fact that he was

of great help to the Andartes (DAG) in past years. But now the situation had changed and he said that Yugoslavia could not by itself refuse the right of asylum to political refugees. But those refugees were now kept deep inside the country and beyond the borders. It was understood that Tito could promise that in future he would not allow these people to return to Greece to resume fighting. And he would no longer provide any help to the Andartes (DAG). He also said that this information must not be revealed to the public because it would result in a very complex situation…” FO371/78716/R4691.

Tito’s promise about this was kept top secret. No one was allowed to know about it because it would have damaged the Yugoslav Marshal’s reputation.