REACTIONS AND OTHER EVENTS IN THAT PERIOD IN GREECE

REACTIONS AND OTHER EVENTS IN THAT PERIOD IN GREECE

1. On April 17th, 1946 the Solun rightist newspaper “Nea Alithia” (New Truth) published an article entitled “Our Sudeten”, in which it wrote about the Macedonians and qualified them as Sudeten and as such, the newspaper said, ...in the interest of peace and security in Greece they need to be liquidated.” 2. The newspaper “Ethnikos Kirikas” wrote: “Greece should soon expel 80,000 Slavo-Macedonians”. The same was said in the weekly Republican newspaper “Eleftheros Typos” on January 28th, 1946 in the article entitled: “Let the Slavo-Macedonians leave our Macedonia - let them go wherever they want to go.”

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THE POSITION OF THE WESTERN POWERS WAS CLEAR, BUT THE RUSSIAN POSITION WAS MYSTERIOUS AT BEST: “LET THEM MUCK AROUND IN CAPITALISM, BUT NOT FOR VICTORY” AND SUPPORT THEM – “ONLY BY WORDS”. YUGOSLAVIA HAD A DOUBLE POLICY – IN PUBLIC IT RESPECTED THE INTEGRITY OF GREECE, AND IN SECRET IT URGED THE MACEDONIANS FROM AEGEAN MACEDONIA TO MAINTAIN THE ARMED STRUGGLE. The major allied forces, in principle, did not oppose the creation of a Macedonian state, but disagreed among themselves on what a future Macedonian state would look like. The USSR pressed for a merger of the Macedonian territory within Federal Yugoslavia. The United States and Great Britain did not want unification of Macedonian territories because it was not in Greece’s favour. So, in order to prevent any plans of reuniting Macedonian territories, Britain took it upon itself to play the main diplomatic role in deciding the future of the Macedonian state. After that the United States took over Britain’s role and followed the same diplomatic path. Here is what Barns, an American diplomat in Sofia, had to say in a telegram to the United States, sent on January 26, 1945, whose content was very familiar to the Bulgarian government: “His Majesty’s Government is not of the opinion to approve the exclusive formation of a federation between Yugoslavia and Bulgaria. But we are ready to agree with the federation of all the Balkan states composed by current allies and their enemies, and with the possibility of involving Turkey. Also, His Majesty strongly opposes the creation of a United Macedonia, which

would include Greek territory, but we are prepared to endorse a future Macedonian state within Yugoslavia... His Majesty has made it clear that any annexation of Bulgarian territory to the federal Yugoslav state of Macedonia without UN consent would be considered an act for which His Majesty is of the opinion that the Bulgarian government has no right to do”. The British threat against unification of Macedonian territories belonging to Greece and Bulgaria was accepted by the United States as a perfect act, even though the United States argued that the desire of the local people should be respected. In a telegram, dated February 24th, 1945 sent to the British Embassy in Washington, the U.S. replied that “the U.S. position is that the prewar borders of Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Greece on Macedonian territory must be respected. Revisions can only be made by desire from the population and with international support.” As can be seen here, the United States, at least in principle, showed some respect for the desires of the local population, but at the same time gave in to British pressure and broke its own principles allowing Britain to dictate policy in the Balkans. “The U.S. government agrees,” said the telegram, “that in the view of the British government there is no legitimate basis for supporting Macedonia to become an independent and sovereign state, as part of Yugoslavia or of a great Slavic Union, and to give it Greek territory when that territory is understandably Macedonian.” By this act Britain won over America to protect its pet, Greece. The British pressured the allies, as well as Yugoslavia and Bulgaria and strongly shook apart all Yugoslav-Bulgarian plans for a United Macedonia in Federal Yugoslavia. In conclusion, British political influence on the future of Macedonia and the Macedonian population under Greece, sadly, legitimized the division of Macedonia. And what was the British Ambassador’s position in Athens? Mr. P.A. Liper, back in November 1944, suggested that 120,000 Slavic -Macedonians be resettled north of Greece's northern border. Liper made this suggestion to Anthony Eden, UK Minister of Foreign Affairs, in a letter dated November 24th, 1944. He said that this was necessary in order to “cleanse Greece” of its Slavic minority. Because without it, avoiding amputation of the Slavic territory in Western Macedonia and its annexation to the Slavic Federation would be virtually impossible. And if this land is lost it would be an economic disaster for Greece. (FO 371/43649 HP 00201 R. 20431/1009/67.) 3. Historical data also shows that in 1945 and after the Second World War, 35,000 ethnic Albanians (Chamuriots) of the Muslim religion, who were placed under Italian command, were driven out from Greece for allegedly cooperating with the occupying German authorities. Greece then, with the following excuse, declared that this chapter of its history regarding Albanian-Greek relations was closed: “They cooperated with the Italian-German occupiers during the Second World War and these war criminals were punished under Greek law.”