DEVELOPMENT OF EVENTS IN 1947

DEVELOPMENT OF EVENTS IN 1947

In February 1947, the CPG leadership reached a decision to change DAG’s strategic goal from pressuring the Athens regime to agree to a peaceful resolution to the internal Greek problem, to fighting to overthrow the regime and seize power. The Athens government reacted very strongly and even passed a series of laws through the Greek parliament. At the same time it announced the return of the Greek king.

On February 24, 1947, the Greek king and the Greek government publicly called on the DAG fighters to surrender by March 15, 1947. They promised to pardon all acts committed against the state and the people if the DAG fighters abided by the deadline and returned to their homes.

On February 14, 1947, US Secretary of State, G. Marshall, stated that the US government was pleased with the change of government in Greece and that it was in the interest of the United States and all the United Nations for Greece to receive assistance to preserve its independence and territorial sovereignty. (See: State Department, Bulletin, 23.2.1947, 341)

Mr. Marshall’s statement initiated the process by which Greece was to receive US assistance.

The United States and England were determined to stop a communist takeover in Greece at all costs. This resulted in the US intervention in Greece carried out by the famous Truman Doctrine on March 12, 1947. The “Truman Doctrine” clearly warned Stalin not to hope for any success in Greece. The unrestricted assistance that Greece received through the “Truman Doctrine” and later through the “Marshall Plan” enabled it to create a large and modern army capable of defeating DAG.

On February 17, 1948, US President Truman informed the US Congress in his monthly report which in part said: “If there is a need, we are ready to give Greece even greater and more comprehensive assistance...”

Given that two Great Powers, the USA and England were prepared to assist the Greek government to “wipe out” the communist threat in Greece, what chance did the Macedonians and allies of the communists have in wining this war? To engage the entire Macedonian population in this totally meaningless war was not only unwise but catastrophic.

This is a very short version of what Markos Vafiadis, then supreme leader of DAG, wrote in a Memorandum addressed to the UN Inquiry Commission:

DEMOCRATIC ARMY OF GREECE MAIN COMMAND Headquarters - grade II a March 14, 1947.

MEMORANDUM

To the United Nations Inquiry Commission

Re: Causes of the Greek Civil War and our thoughts on how to end it.

NOTE: Since there is a lot of material, here we will only look at a small portion of it. The complete text can be found in chapter 4 of the memorandum. Here we will only look at the material that is relevant to the Macedonians and their sacrifices as well as whether or not the Greek Civil War was really a Macedonian people’s liberation movement and a continuation of the Macedonian Ilinden tradition as our mainstream Macedonian historiography would have us believe.

In brief, an agreed upon meeting was held on March 21, 1947, between General Markos Vafiadis, Supreme Commander of the Democratic Army of Greece (DAG), and the Inquiry Commission for Greece Security Council representatives from the Soviet Union and Poland as well as representatives from Yugoslavia, Albania and Bulgaria. The meeting was held at the Democratic Army’s headquarters in the village Hrisomilia in the Kalambaka suburb, where General Markos Vafiadis handed over to the Inquiry

Commission a memorandum of wide-ranging topics consisting of four chapters.

Among other things, the memorandum outlined details of the Monarcho-Fascist gangs operating in Thessaly, pointing out the location of their headquarters and names of all the officers. Almost all the officers on the list had been sentenced to death by the people’s courts because they cooperated with the German occupier and for the many crimes they often personally committed. These people were known criminals. Their names were: Kalabalitis, Surlas, Zervas, Tselios, Karakisos, Bizdas, Kundouris and others. The memorandum also provided details of the large numbers of ELAS officers who had been arrested, killed and exiled for no reason. The memorandums included official Greek government documents which proved that these monarcho-fascist gangs existed and were armed by the English before the leftist partisans began to arm themselves and flee to the mountains. The goal of the Monarcho-Fascist gangs was to exterminate the democratic movement and the people. The gangs believed that all democrats were great villains who were bent on harming Greece. The orders found in the gendarmerie station archives, seized by the Democratic Army, dealt with only one issue: how to destroy the people’s movement and the communist party.

It is also worth mentioning that the terror attacks carried out and damage done in 1945 was done by English and Greek military units.

The Democratic Army of Greece (DAG) has not missed a single opportunity to date to peacefully, and in the spirit of calm, offer normal democratic solutions to our internal problems which hang over the Greek people. DAG has always proposed measures that could open the way for a democratic solution to these problems and its position fully coincides with the desire of the democratic people’s movement. As for the reasons that caused the Civil War in our country and how to end it, we reiterate and we remain confident that without resolving the following issues, there will be no peace:

- Withdrawal of English forces from Greece; - Allow EAM to participate in the government; - Declare general amnesty;

- Clean up the state apparatus of war criminals and members of the “security battalions”; - Establish democracy and freedom in the military and public security formations; and - Conduct free elections.

The people of our country cannot be calmed down without restoring normal conditions and without ensuring their freedom. The democratic army and the democratic people will continue their struggle until their rights and ideals are finally realized and until we are convinced that all democratic nations will support us in our work.

The Democratic Army believes that the United Nations Inquiry Commission is represented by democratic and liberal nations which have fought fascism at great expense and will find the right path in its objective examination of the situation in our country and the reasons that triggered the Civil War. The Commission will help our people achieve their freedom and aspirations enjoyed by all democratic nations in the world.

Markos, S.R. DAG General Headquarters, Greece

Soon afterwards, on May 20, 1947, the first NOF conference was held during which time the new line and organizational tasks were confirmed. Following along the CPY and CPG positions, the Macedonian National Liberation Movement was to involve the Macedonian people en masse in the struggle led by DAG in order to bring a people’s democracy to Greece. Everything else was subordinate to that goal. (See: Kiriazovski 1998 / 232-233.)

In other words, the Macedonian people were led from euphoria to disappointment…

This is what the CPY and CPG had in mind for us...!

The strangers prepared us for a dangerous strategy with cunning tactics to lead us on a one-way trip to oblivion!

An important question to ask at this point would be: “Was NOF aware of what the CPG and Zahariadis were preparing for us Macedonians?” (See: Vasilis Bardzhiotas, 1987/91.)

Ever since the CPG Central Committee 2nd Plenum took place in 1946, Nikos Zahariadis kept pushing for a peaceful resolution to the Greek problem and for a political way to usurp power in Greece.

This idea was not abandoned even after the CPG Central Committee 3rd Plenum took place in September 1947, during which it was decided to devote the Party’s responsibility to the struggle. Zahariadis supported the idea of usurping power by political means until 1948-1949, that is for as long at the Soviet Union, through talks at the UN, supported a peaceful resolution to the Greek question...”

Now let us have a look at how the slogan: “Destruction of the Anglo-American occupiers”, repeatedly used by NOF, AFZH and NOMS to agitate the Macedonian people, was adhered to.

On February 14, 1947, US Secretary of State, G. Marshall, stated that the US Government was pleased with the change of government in Greece and that it was in the interests of the United States and all of the United Nations for Greece to receive assistance to preserve its independence and territorial sovereignty. (See: State Department, Bulletin, 2.2.1947, 341.)

In the spring of 1947 Marshal’s statement encouraged the Greek authorities in Greek occupied Macedonia to not only continue their terror activities but to further strengthen and generalize their persecution against the Macedonian people. In order to legalize their terror activities they adopted more laws and regulations as follows:

- LAW CP 511/47, “On the organization of concentration camps”, - “Law on forced evacuation of people to city centres”, - Decree L-3 “On deprivation of Greek citizenship of persons who acted against the Greek state”, - LAW CP 509/47 “On state security measures, constitutional order and citizen protection”.

But, despite these draconian measures, the NOF, AFZH and NOMS leaderships still faithfully adhered to the CPY and CPG position fulfilling their tasks...