GREECE: Republicans into Royalists

On a recent trip abroad wily old Premier Panayoti Tsaldaris ascertained that British King George frowns upon the project of some Greek Royalists to seat the Duke of Kent upon their vacant throne (TIME, Aug. 19); that despite the feelings of his Greece-born, Greece-loving Duchess, the Duke personally recoils from a project so adventurous and, finally, that London bankers are now backing deposed Georgios II who never abdicated as King of Greece. Last week British George V once more showed where he stood by having “Gorgeous Georgios” II as his grouse-shooting guest at Balmoral in Scotland. In Athens Premier Tsaldaris took the hint and a long step forward toward a return to a Monarchy.

Since the Greek Premier is sworn to uphold, protect and defend the Greek Republic, M. Tsaldaris wriggled out of that oath by announcing: “I see no great difference between the constitutional Monarchy of Greece as it existed up to 1924 and the Republic. . . . I have known King George for years. . . . He wants happiness for the Greek people.”

This was enough for that tough Greek Republican General Charilaos Panayotakos, commander of the Athens Army Corps. He knew that even tougher War Minister General George Kondylis would soon be after him. In the last election fierce, waxed-mustached General Kondylis had 34 of his henchmen elected Deputies on the straight Republican ticket, then abruptly informed them that henceforth they were to be ardent Royalists hot to restore Georgios II. Moving fast last week Republican General Panayotakos surrounded Athens with troops he thought he could trust, burst into a Cabinet meeting. Instantly the Royalist War Minister ordered him arrested, a Greek sentry stabbed him in the jaw, and he would have been shot down like a dog had not his brother, a Republican Deputy, given him a push and received in his hand the bullet intended for General Panayotakos. The wound festered and the hand had to be amputated while Premier & War Minister suppressed riots up & down Attica and in certain Army garrisons.

By accident at this juncture Benito Mussolini helped to restore Greek tranquillity. With British war boats maneuvering as silent threats to Italy in Mediterranean waters including those of Greece, Il Duce, without asking Greek permission as Britons do, suddenly had three Italian war boats drop anchor in three major Greek ports. Local officials frantically wired Athens and the statesmen and militarists of Greece dropped their own feuds to unite in a loud squawk of protest.

Shrunken old Greek President Alexander Zaimis remained mum as the Sphinx all week while his resignation was rumored hourly and Royalist slogans appeared, “Vote For Georgios II, A Democratic King!” The Tsaldaris Cabinet announced it would hold a plebiscite Oct. 27 on a restoration of the Monarchy—provided, of course, that a settlement of the issue by the trusty and traditional Greek method of a coup d’état did not occur before then.