CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR

1. Forming TOMO

After being well-rested from inactivity in Bitola I spoke to my supervisor Dzhodzho, who at the time was secretary of the Political Committee. I met with him with the intent of being sent back into the field so that I could personally talk to the people there, see how they were doing, what they were thinking and the like.

Dzhodzho approved.

As soon as the weather improved, sometime in mid-February 1945, I left for the village Staravina. I needed several days to get to know the situation at the border. On February 21, 1945, I arrived at the village Dolno Pozharsko (Gorno Pozharsko was abandoned and completely empty). I spoke with my host and told him:

“Bring over about a dozen people… your choice. Tell them Goche (Rakovski) is here and wants to talk to them…!”

About half an hour later they arrived. I knew them from before and they knew me because, some time ago, I had recruited over one hundred volunteers here, partisans who were willing to join the battalion. The people were happy to see me again and looked at me curiously from top to bottom because I was wearing a Bulgarian officer’s overcoat, English pants and an English jacket. My legs were grey from the mud and I was wearing “opintsi” (slippers made of pigskin) for shoes.

“What kind of an army are you... wearing opintsi…?” one of them asked me jokingly.

When one of my escorts heard the joke he brought me my shiny black boots.

I knew our people very well and deliberately took my boots with me. They were made from a thick, hard sole and could not be used for long traveling through the deep snow over Kaimakchalan. I tied my boots with a string and placed them over my shoulder.

We had a long talk.

We split up in the morning. I promised them that we would soon see each other again. And I would answer their basic questions: “What should they be doing…? How should they be struggling…? When should they be starting and with what…?”

I remained in the village and allowed myself plenty of time to think. I recruited their sons into the battalion and then took them over the border to the People’s Republic of Macedonia. What was I going to do from here on…?

They needed answers… I had to answer them.

It was obvious: without a political organization on the ground, the withdrawal of the battalion seemed like an adventurous move. The very formation of a political organization (bringing our people together) would not only correct the isolated action taken by the battalion, but it would also give us political substance and an ultimate goal. So, it was necessary to do this… the sooner the better.

Then, on the other hand, we had our CPG comrades who fiercely attacked the battalion’s leadership, especially me and Dzhodzho. They accused us of being “adventurers”, “sell outs to alien agents”, “scoundrels”, “traitors” and so on and so forth… and that we would bring “ruin” to our people’s children…! In other words, they called the battalion’s withdrawal a savage adventure and a betrayal. So, it was necessary for us to dismantle these accusations and put things right. And that was only possible with the formation of a political and revolutionary organization.

So, instead of waiting for a directive from above, I decided to act alone in accordance with the imperative from below. I formed a political organization under the name: Secret Macedonian Liberation Organization - TOMO. Because I defied responsibility and decided on my own to transfer the battalion over the border to save it from being disarmed, dissolved and liquidated, I was now obligated to make a correction and take responsibility for establishing TOMO, in order to defend and justify this transfer. TOMO’s existence would

confirm in the consciousness of our people that the transfer of the battalion was done to save it and that what they were hearing from the other side was lies…

Before noon the same day (February 22, 1945) I sent some of my trusted people to the surrounding villages to make contact with the most trusted people there and ask them to come and see me...

One by one they gathered until late night. Fifteen in total came to see me. I appointed each TOMO board president of the TOMO organization in their village. In total thirteen villages joined TOMO. They were Pozharsko, Strupino, Baovo, Tsakoni, Tresino, Gorno Rodovo, Dolno Rodovo, Sarakinovo, Krontselevo, Teovo, Nisia and two more whose names I don’t remember. After that I visited the terrain twice more, once during March and again during the first half of April 1945. At that time ELAS had not yet surrendered its arms. There was a garrison stationed in the town Supotsko and a two unit detachment in the village Tresino. One moonlit night I went to Tresino and visited the villages Dolno Rodovo and Sarakinovo. I stayed in Sarakinovo one day. Director Todor Anastasov and three fighters stayed with me. After that I went to the flatlands outside the village Tsakoni and met with Hristo Andonovski. At that time TOMO was spreading rapidly and approaching the city Voden...

Now I want to say a few words about the name TOMO.

The word “Secret” in TOMO corresponded to the situation on the ground. It pointed to the need for profound secrecy because it was illegal both in regards to the government in Athens and in regards to the CPG. On top of that it hid in itself a bit of revolutionary romance, necessary for the rebellious human soul.

The words “Macedonian” and “Organization” referred to the fact that TOMO was an exclusively Macedonian national organization.

The word “Liberation” pointed to the fact that it was an ideological organization. It carried the justification for the ultimate goal of our struggle. The liberation was led by our battalion and was expected to be led and supported by all our people.

I spent my entire time between my two field trips in Staravina. I did not want to go back to Bitola. For me it was not worth making the trip back. At that time Mitrevski was sent to attend a political course in Belgrade, Keramidzhiev was absent from the brigade and Dzhodzho hung around his important office. There was inactivity all round... The way things were going the Political Commission was headed on its way out… causing its own abolition...

I stayed in a single room in a home in Staravina with a window facing Kaimakchalan. I sat there looking outside, thinking and writing. I recorded many events in which I was directly and indirectly involved. I described the life of a Macedonian person and their existence under the Greek regimes. And, thanks to my friend Hristo Andonovski, I am now again in possession of the manuscript which I wrote at that time. I have been meaning to offer it for publication.

2. Forming NOF...

About mid-April 1945, I received a message from Dzhodzho requesting that I immediately leave for Skopje. I did as he ordered and found out that the political commission was already dissolved. Then, at the end of April, the National Liberation Front - NOF for the Macedonians in Aegean (Greek occupied) Macedonia was formed. Mitrevski was appointed its leader and given a free hand to choose four others and to assemble the central leadership body - a five-member Bureau. He called me in and told me the news himself. He then asked me for my opinion on which four he should choose to form the Bureau…

I suggested Georgi Urdov-Dzhodzho, Ilo Dimovski-Goche, Naum Peiov and Mihail Keramidzhiev.

He thanked me and went away. When it was formed the Bureau consisted of Paskal Mitrevski, Georgi Urdov-Dzhodzho, Mihail Keramidzhiev, Tanas Koroveshov and Pavle Rakovski.

As I mentioned earlier, at that time I had high regards for Mitrevski because of the trust the leadership of the Republic of Macedonia had placed in him. I appreciated and respected that simply and openly.

And that, it seemed to me, is why I too was appointed to NOF’s top leadership body.

After the first session, the five of us were sent to the field to strike NOF’s foundation on the ground in Kostur, Lerin, Voden, Enidzhe-Vardar and Seres Regions. I was sent to Voden Region because of my popularity there and because of the fact that I was well-known to most of the people.

“Do you see how well it turned out for you? You already have a ready-made organization there…. All you have to do now its change its name…” Dzhodzho said to me...

I was familiar with everything that I did in the field. We had long discussions about it. But, apparently, Dzhodzho said nothing to anyone about it. His idea was, when I came back from the field, I was to write my accomplishments about NOF’s founding in my report, but to keep quiet about TOMO’s existence. He said it was totally unnecessary to mention TOMO and its activities because they would cause unnecessary discussion.

During the first regional conference I nominated Vangel Aianovski – Oche as president to lead the new NOF District Board. Aianovski was already stationed in Voden with a number of people sent there to monitor developments in the field.

I remained in the field until May 25, 1945. Then, at the end of the month, the new main leadership (Bureau) held a meeting in Skopje which was also attended and led by Dimitar Aleksievich – Pekar from the CPM Central Committee. Everyone present read out their written reports and answered questions. Here is my report which described the situation in Voden Region: