GREECE: Army, Palace & Embassy

There used to be an old saying in Greece: a strong government needs the support of army or palace, or both. Today they say the army, the palace and the U.S. Embassy. Last year’s general election followed earlier outspoken criticism of the government by the U.S. Embassy. The army’s famed Marshal Alexander Papagos, leading a Gaullist-type party called the Greek Rally, won the most seats (114). But the palace’s King Paul I had quarreled with him, and called instead upon Progressives and Liberals (131 seats all told) to form a coalition government.

It was an uneasy alliance. So evenly divided was Parliament that the small Communist-line Democratic Front Party actually held the balance of power. The U.S. Embassy, which has helped spend $2 billion of U.S. aid in Greece since the war and is mainly interested in controlling Greece’s galloping inflation, supported the government. But last August it became apparent that fhe government could retain its command of Parliament only with the support of the crypto-Communists. U.S. Ambassador John E. Peurifoy let it be known at a cocktail party that he thought it was time for new elections. Taking the hint, King Paul lashed out at “bad Greeks who insult the U.S. instead of thanking her.” Without the support of the army, the palace, or the embassy,

Government Leaders Venizelos (Liberal) and Plastiras (Progressive) last week resigned their government. King Paul announced a general election for Nov. 16.

Unlike previous elections, which have been conducted under a system of proportional representation, the coming election will be under a majority system. The U.S. Embassy, which has long pressed for this reform, hopes that it will produce a stable one-party government. Before it left office, the coalition managed to put through a clause disfranchising servicemen (Greece has 160,000 men under arms) and withholding the vote from women. This may hurt Marshal Papagos, who is popular in the army, but the majority voting system should help him. He is now favored to win, and if he does, the U.S. Embassy won’t mind at all.