U.S. POLICY TOWARD GREECE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP69B00369R000200290060-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 7, 2001
• Sequence Number: 60
• Publication Date: August 31, 1967
• Content Type: OPEN

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August 31, 1967 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -HOUSE 1111579
lars of additional revenue immediately after
they became law. Loophole closing does not
meet either requirement.
BITTERLY CONTROVERSIAL
What the Congressional liberals know well
and blandly are choosing to ignore is that
tax reforms are bitterly controversial, enor-
mously complex proposals that can be pushed
through Congress only after months of
lengthy hearings, intensive Committee work
and acrimonious floor debate.
What they know equally well is that some
of their most cherished reforms are likely
to be rejected by substantial majorities in
both Houses, as indeed they were only a few
years ago during Congressional action on the
historic Kennedy-Johnson omnibus tax re-
duction bill.
Some of these same proposals and an as-
sortment of other reforms will be included in
a_ loophole-closing message that the Presi-
dent repeatedly has promised both publicly
and privately to send Congress later this
year. The clamoring liberals are fully aware
of Mr. Johnson's intentions and they have
received the same firm assurances from
Treasury Secretary Henry H. Fowler and
Budget Director Charles L. Schultze.
PROPOSAL MISSES
Apart from their unrealistic insistence that
Congress could be persuaded to act quickly
on loophole closing, the liberals' reform pro-
posal misses badly on another count: Even if
they finally managed to wrestle a compli-
cated reform bill through Congress this year,
it would not give the Government the money
that it must have to reduce its big deficit
and to curb the threat of an inflationary
boom.
The great advantage of prompt passage of
the President's clean-cut, 10 per cent sur-
--ch.$rge plan is that the levy almost im-
mediately would start to bring in needed
money from individual income tax withhold-
ing and from both individual and corporate
estimated tax payments.
But the revenue from tax reforms would
come in slowly and it would come in too
nounces that the buses run on time, re-
minding those of our generation of the
same braggadocio from Mussolini about
Italian trains under Fascist rule. It is
rather obvious that Patakos does not
have a sophisticated public relations ex-
pert from his recent announcement that
250 Greek women have chosen to remain
led
es to re-
i
h
g
gn p
an s
in jail rather t
port of the crown, religion, nationalism, and
re from political activities after their distaste for the old political parties.
rellea ease. Since the Greeks are no more saintly than
How such announcements can improve other people, It may be many years before
his public image is hard to fathom. But the Junta considers them ready for self-
we cannot afford to laugh at such bumb- government.
ling, Mr. Speaker. These are the ludi- In the meantime, the regime is continuing
crous statements that only highlight the to retire forcibly, Greek military officers who
depth of the real tragedy. were not in the coup. It apparently wishes
I am sure that our Department of State to insure that they do not rally around the
and our President, who will be meeting King, who opposed the coup, in a counter
move,
with the King of Greece a few days from No one Junta member has emerged as a
now, are as appalled as we are by the single power holder. The leaders still are Col.
ruthlessness of the dictatorship. The George Papadopoulos, 48, who runs the Pre-
question for our Government i., what we mier's office; Brig. Gen. Stylianos Patakos, 53,
should" do to assist the return of con- whose tanks backed the coup and who is now
Col N' olas Marare-
d Ic
are not without fault in the creation of
a climate which made the coup possible.
Our most serious guilt lies in fostering
the opinion that the United States con-
sidered the Papandreous, and especially
Andreas, as dangerous radicals. By al-
lowing such an attitude to be accepted
as the position of the United States, we
encouraged a military seizure of power.
The measure of blame which can be
properly laid at our door is yet to be
properly assessed. I fear it is not negli-
gible.
The "colonels" also could rely on our
concern for the NATO bases and our own
military position in the Mediterranean.
Since the coup, our only action has been
to withhold a small, amount of military
hardware. I am afraid that the hopes of
an orderly return to constitutional gov-
U.S. POLICY TOWARDS*REECE
(Mr. EDWARDS of California (at the
request of Mr. PRYOR) was granted per-
mission to extend his remarks at this
point in the RECORD andyto include ex-
traneous matter.)
Mr. EDWARDS of California. Mr.
Speaker, it is now over 4 months since
a military takeover in Greece ended
democratic constitutional government,
apparently surprising the Palace since
the rumored coup was supposed to come
from a different echelon of the military.
Since the "coup of the colonels," it has
become clearer every day that they do
not intend to gracefully relinquish pow-
er. They have been purging the officer
corps on a wholesale scale, removing
local officials and effectively destroying
any potential political opposition. Thou-
sands of prisoners are still being held on
the island of Youra and elsewhere after
brutal midnight arrests. Newspapers may
print only what the dictatorship permits.
Gatherings of more than five people even
in a private home are illegal and a form-
er conservative member of Parliament
was recently sentenced to 5 years in
prison for a violation.
Mr. Speaker, recent visitors to Greece
report that even their own relatives are
afraid to talk to them. There is an omi-
nous silence on the streets and in the
taverns. Meanwhile, Patakos proudly an-
ernment, once the new constitution is
written, is a mirage. There was nothing
wrong with the old constitution. Rewrit-
ing the constitution is merely a dodge to
gain time for a solidification of the power
of the junta.
Mr. Speaker, I most earnestly hope
that our policy will not rest on such a
chimera. I include in the RECORD an
article from the Washington Daily News
of August 7, 1967:
BASIC AIM-TO RETAIN POWER UNTIL NATION
IS REMADE: GREEK JUNTA SET FOR LONG
STAY
(By B. J. Cutler)
ATHENS, August 7.-The army Junta
which took over Greece in a bloodless coup
April 21 has settled in for a long stay in
power.
Its basic aim is to consolidate its hold,
not to restore the democracy that Greeks
had-and abused.
Nudged by young King Constantine, the
U.B. and World opinion, the Junta has
named a committee of jurists to draft a new
Constitution by Dec. 1.
But the military regime itself will put the
final touches on the constitution and will
decide when to have it approved by the peo-
ple in a referendum.
Privately, Junta members foresee elections
in which no real political opposition will be
allowed. This is to lead to a rubberstamp
parliament, which will permit the military
inner circle to rule as it does now.
Altho they say they seized power to pre-
vent a communist insurrection, Junta mem-
bers show no taste for returning to their
barracks now that the communist appa-
ratus has been decapitated.
Instead, they insist they must retain power
until the Greek nation is remade to their
moralistic specifications. This means no
mini-skirts, beatle haircuts, or coffee houses
for youths, but plenty of church-going and
compulsory schools. For grown-ups their
goals are discipline, order, hard work, sup-
Interior Minister, an
zos, 47, who stays in the background and di-
rects the economy.
King Constantine, at 26, seems to be gain-
ing prestige as the nation realizes he is cau-
tiously pressing the Junta for a return of
democratic government.
On a recent tour of the provinces, he was
more warmly received than before. He is
looked on as one stable factor that may lead
the people back from dictatorship.
Under such a regime one doesn't take pub-
lic opinion polls and people do not speak
freely. Nevertheless the man in the street is
viewed as neither for nor against the regime.
He accepts it but is worried about how long
it will last.
BETTER
In several ways the ordinary man is better
off than under the elastic and corrupt gov-
ernment of the past few years. He is not
harassed by almost daily strikes and politi-
cally-activated mobs sturging in the streets.
His bus comes on time and the fare is
lower. Jostling to get aboard is forbidden-
Greeks now stand in queues. Prices have been
frozen and' some, including that of bread,
rolled back. At squares in poor neighbor-
hoods free movies are shown.
Tickets are not given for traffic violations
and the driving has improved from terrifying
to hair-raising. Employers who had the
quaint habit of pocketing their workers' so-
cial security payments are now repaying mil-
lions to the state.
The press, which was buyable and lively, is
now censored and dull. Books, plays, and
"communist music" are banned. A few people
are arrested for criticizing the regime, but
some 2500 communists and suspects are still
broiling in the sun on a prison island in the
Aegean.
Today many Greeks agree that they were
brawling, stumbling, and perhaps failing on
the road to democracy. Now they are being
taken on a journey thru stability and mild
dictatorship. What they disagree on is: "was
this trip necessary?"
VITAL REQUIP. IMENT FOR AIR
TRANSPORT
(Mr. FLOOD (at the request of Mr.
PRYOR) was granted permission to ex-
tend his remarks at this point in the REC-
ORD and to include extraneous matter.)
Mr. FLOOD. Mr. Speaker, I introduce,
for appropriate referral, a bill which is
intended to define a truly vital require-
ment in the area of air transport, includ-
ing a proposal to promote a method for
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H 11580
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - HOUSE August 31, 1967
transporting outsize objects such as mis- (4) to provide, by contract or otherwise, ships for the same purposes as outlined
sile and rocket boosters and sustainers; for the operation of a rigid airship developed In my bill. In fact, I considered it en-
for use in the U.S. aerospace program as under this Act and for the utilization of tirely possible that the Russians would
a? recovery vehicle in lieu of the present the experience and knowledge of persons in- display a radically new type of airship
highly expensive System of deploying volved in the operation of similar aircraft.
fleets of vessels and aircraft for that Im- (b) In carrying out the provisions of this at the Paris airshow in May and June
Act, the Secretary shall consult with inter- of this year. This could well be another
portant mission; for the purpose Of ested Federal agencies includin
b
t
t
g
u
no
, transporting fabricated building sec- limited to the Department of Defense, t
tions-HUD-preassembled bridge and Civil Aeronautics Board, and the Nati al
tower sections, earthmoving machinery, Asronautics and Space Administration,,,and
Industrial generators and transformers, with representatives of the aviation rtanu-
storage tanks, radomes, field hospitals, facturing industry and the air transport in-
airborne command-control comm::rlca- dustry.
bons centers, and, finally, for use in Section 4 (a) The Secretary is authorized
to appoint and fix the compensation of such
oceanographic research and exploration, personnel as he may deem necessary to car-
lumbering, and petroleum prospecting. ry out the provisions of this Act. /rhe Secre-
The bill and other material follow: tary is authorized to use, with their consent,
H.R. 12744 the available services, equipment, personnel,
A bill to provide for a temporary program of and facilities of other civilian" or military
Federal assistance for research and level- agencies and instrumentalities W the Fed-
opment relating to a certain rigid airship, crab Gn mrryng on a he prorfsionbasis.
and for other purposes (b) In carryin out the rarys author-
Be it enacted by the Senate and House o ze 3 of this Act, the Sec is rt
y of ized to enter into contracts with th or without
Representatives of the United States of advertising or competitive biding, upon de-
America in Congress assembled, That, as used termination that the price is for and reason-
in this Act- able, and with or without p rformance or
(1) The term "rigid airship" means an air- other bonds. The Secretary r4ay make ad-
craft comprised of a fully rigid airframe con- vance, progress, and other payments under
tamed in an envelope filled with helium gas, contracts entered into under this section
and shall include engines, airframes, pro- without regard to Section 368 of the Re-
pellers, rotors, instruments, accessories, and vised Statutes of the Unitekt States (31
other ancillary equipment. U.S.C, 529). 1
(2) The term "testing" means the opera- SEC. 5. The Secretary shall submit to the
tion of a rigid airship incident to the pro- Congress, on or before June 15 pf each year,
curement of a type certificate for such an a detailed report of his activitle$ and expen-
aircraft and the operation of a rigid airship, ditures under this Act, together with such
whether or not it has a type certificate, under recommendations, including re4ommenda-
pose olf dor simulated eterminine the oneran for the pur- bons with respect to additional fggislation,
(3) The term "modification"+ means any
adjustment or change necessary for and in-
cident to carrying out the development and
testing of rigid airships under this Act.
SEC. 2. The Congress hereby declares that it
is in the national interest to promote safety,
economy, and efficiency in, the national
transportation system and to that end, it is
the purpose of this Act to assist in the de-
velopment of a rigid airship designed to,
transport' outsized objects free from the
usual constraints and hazards encountered
In their transportation by land or water by
providing for a temporary program of Fed-
eral assistance in the development, testing,
and modification of such an airship.
SEC. 3. (a) In carrying out the provisions
of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation
(hereafter in this Act referred to as the
"`Secretary") is authorlged-
(1) To prepare operating and general util-
ity characteristics and specifications for a
type of rigid airship which he determines
represents a potential advance over existing
modes of air and surface transportation;
(2) to provide for the development of a
rigid airship for use by the Department of
Defense and National Aeronautics and Space
Administration as a means of transporting
rocket boosters and sustainers and other out-
Size objects and for possible use in the
17nited States space program as a recovery
vehicle in lieu of the present costly system
of deployment of vessels and aircraft;
(3) to determine thepotentials of a rigid
airship for use by other departments and
agencies of the Federal Government and by
private industry for the transportation of
outsized objects, including but not limited
to fabricated building sections, preassem-
bled bridge and tower sections, earth-moving
machinery, industrial generators and trans-
formers, storage tanks, radomes, field hos-
pitals, airborne command-control communi-
cations centers, and the possible uses of such
an airstrip In oceanographic research and
exploration, lumbering, and petroleum pro-
specting;
SEC. 8. This Act shall terminate n the
expiration of the five-year period be nning
prlatiea such sums as may be necessary
carry out the purposes of this Act.
STATISTICS ON AEREON
Length: 340'.
Span : 255'.
Height: 80'.
Power: 4 Rolls-Royce "Tyne" turbo-prop
engines @ 5500 e.s.h.p.
Cruising Speed: 150 mph,
Takeoff run: 3,000 ft. at max. load.
Payload (Max.) 300,000 lbs.
Range (Max.) 7,000 mi.
Operating Cost (Total) 1 %? per ton-mile
{ (7 1,750 mi. range).
Estimated Cost: $8,400,000,
PAYLOAD
Six (6) 40 ft. containers (300,000 lbs.)
range: 1,750 mi, q total operating cost of
1Y20 per ton-mile.
Four (4) 40 ft. containers (200,000 lbs.)
range: -4,000 mi. C? total operating cost of
2f per ton-mile.
The above bill is introduced with my
absolute conviction that such a mode
of transportation is vitally important
to our economy and to the image of the
United States as a presumed leader in
the sphere of world transportation. I
have long actively advocated a rigid air-
ship and current revolutionary advances
in its design and potential, to the De-
partment of Defense and its military de-
partments, and to the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration. I
have received polite answers indicating
generally that consideration will be ac-
corded my proposals. In the meantime,
the Soviet Union is moving apace in this
field and, by Its own admission, is se-
riously researching the use, of rigid air-
and I do not doubt their capability for
a moment.
Why has the United States failed to
fill an obviously glaring gap In our over-
all transportation system?
I sincerely urge that you give this bill
serious consideration, I have readily
available much conclusive information
in this matter which can be presented
before any committee to which it may
be referred.
VEGA CLUB OF BROCKTON, MASS.,
OBSERVES 75TH ANNIVERSARY
(Mr. BURKE of Massachusetts (at the
request of Mr. PRYOR) was granted per-
mission to extend his remarks at this
point In the RECORD and to include ex-
traneous matter.)
Mr. BURKE of Massachusetts. Mr.
Speaker, the Vega Club of Brockton,
Mass., is about ,to observe its 75th
anniversary, and will mark the oc-
casion with a diamond jubilee celebra-
tion on September 9. I know that all of
my colleagues here will want to join me
in saluting this fine organization which
numbers among its membership some of
the most public-spirited and devoted
citizens of that city. I have long been
aware of their generous activities in the
community, and hope that the efforts of
the Vega members and their womens'
auxiliary, the Valkyrian Club will receive
,,the encouragement they deserve to con-
tynue for a long time to come.
''Among the many activities which have
given areawide prominence to the club,
are *,its Vega Male Chorus, the Vega
of fathe
ber 11,
the club
promote
Decembe
chase of
6, 1904, 2 years after the pur-
he site on which- the present
stands. This handsome build-
ompleted and dedicated De-
l 1917. In addition, the club
.ing was
cember 1
acquired $ fishing camp on a pond in
Plymouth;: in 1953, and also owns the
Vega Grove in West Bridgewater, the
gift of P41ip Pearson of that town.
The September 9 celebration will begin
with a social hour from 6:30 until 7:30
p.m. followed by dinner and dancing
with a brief anniversary program. Hon-
ored guests will be widows of past mem-
bers, and special guestInvitations have
been extended to Gov. John A. Volpe,
former Senator Leverett P. Saltonstall,
Mayor Sims, of Brockton, former Mayor
Hjalmar Peterson, and Miss Anne Mar-
gos, as well as to myself.
Clarence Christenson will be the offi-
cial host, and Fred V. Hinrichs will intro-
duce the program as master of cere-
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August 31, 1967 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - HOUSE
monies, A special exhibit, the Historic
Room, will` offer guests a display of his-
toric pictures, the club's history, and dis-
plays of memorabilia.
Ronald E. Hermanson is chairman of
the anniversary committee, and serving
with him are historians Arnold W. Ahl-
borg, Anders A. Lyman, Olof W. Olson,
and Ivar E. Lyman. The souvenir pro-
gram is being handled by Leslie E. Pear-
son, Everett B. Hedin, and catering by
Warren R. Carlson and Edward W.
Beale.
Other members who have devoted time
and energy to the assured success of the
occasion are: George H. Burgenson,
Jean Kyhn, Gerald P. Johnson, W. Emery
Samuelson, Mrs. John A. Johnson, Mrs.
Bert Akesson, Mrs. Ronald E. Herman-
son, Mrs. Donald E. Johnson, Mrs. Allen
O'Brien, Mrs. Hilding Olson, Alton P.
Nelson, Sr., Fred V. Hinrichs, Richard
E. Youngberg, Donald E. Johnson, Robert
L. Wessa, and club officers Donald E.
Johnson, president, Barry Rogerson, vice
president, Anders A. Lyman, secretary,
Jean Kyhn, financial secretary, Robert
Swanson, treasurer, Everett B. Hedin,
marshall, ion Ortendahl, club news
editor, and directors George H. Burgen-
son, Richard E. Younger, Leslie E. Pear-
son, and Ronald E. Hermanson._
Again, I express my very best wishes
to every member,of the Vega club, and
congratulations on this notable milestone
in its history. May the club continue to
preserve the standards of community
responsibility and citizenship which have
earned it the esteem and high regard of
all who know of its reputation.
(Mr. BURKE of Massachusetts (at the
request of Mr. PRYOR) was granted per-
mission to extend his remarks at this
point in the RECORD and to include ex-
traneous matter.)
[Mr. BURKE of Massachusetts' re-
marks will "appear hereafter in the Ap-
pendix.]
of neighboring countries, which then feel
the need to protect themselves with sim-
ilar buildups-either-for reasons of mili-
tary defense or of simple prestige. Fur-
ther, the presence of arms, and the mis-
trust of one's neighbor, leads to a greater
expectation of violence, and then a
greater acceptance of violence. The.
mechanics of preparing a country for
war, even a defensive war, are such that
they are hard to reverse.
I would like to join the more than 20
of my distinguished colleagues who have
introduced a concurrent resolution stat-
ing the sense of Congress that the Presi-
dent, acting through the U.S. delegation
to the United Nations should first, seek,
in the appropriate forums of the United
Nations, agreements among the princi-
pal arms suppliers to insure that sales
and gifts of arms are restricted to mini-
mum levels; and, second, seek to estab-
lish in and through the United Nations
a procedure for full public registration of
all transactions of this character.
I urge the Foreign Affairs Committee
to move forward on this resolution.
This resolution seems to me a logical
parallel to the nuclear 'nonproliferation
H 11581
who has quite properly cut miutary aiu
to Greece, appeared on the verge of re-
suming it, as articles in the July 7 issues
of the New York Times and Baltimore
Sun indicated.
Precisely at this moment, when events
were moving in their favor, the junta
pulled a major public relations blunder.
They revoked the citizenship of the
world-renowned Greek actress, Melina
Mercouri, because of critical statements
she had been making.
American public opinion was again
aroused, making resumption of U.S. aid
untenable. Now the indications are that
the United States will not resume mili-
tary aid at least until the new Greek
Constitution is completed in November
-1967.
But let us be clear about what this
new constitution is all about, It is a
device, a mechanism encouraged by the
United States as a test of the junta's
intentions and perhaps as a vessel for
The strong men of the junta, Papa-
dopoulos and Pattakos, are by reliable
accounts politically naive and provin-
cial. But they are sincere. They gen-
uinely believe their own words when
they say that the coup was staged to
save Greece from communism and to
"purify" the nation. They are puzzled,
therefore, when western democracies
show some disapproval of their actions,
for they believe their actions were not
inconsistent with our interests.
The coup itself was not a surprise; the
organizers of the coup were. For months
prior to the coup, there had been wide-
spread talk in Athens that senior Army
officers and the palace, two elements
which had long enjoyed U.S. backing,
would move to prevent the expected elec-
toral victory of George Papandreou's
non-Communist, liberal Center Union
Party. Five weeks before the scheduled
election, with the Center Union appar-
ently heading for a record majority, the
sudden coup killed democracy in Greece.
The colonels had swiped the plan of the
palace and the generals and executed it
themselves.
After the first flurry of disapproving
treaty recently proposed by the United editorials in the press of Western Eu-
States and the Soviet Union. I believe rope and the United States, and some
that this would mark an important ad- critical statements in Congress, concern
vance in our efforts toward world peace. ~ for the fate of Greek democracy grad-
THE GREEK POLITICAI% CRISIS
(Mr. KASTENMEIER (at the request
of Mr. PRYOR) was granted permission
to extend his remarks at this point in the
RECORD and to include extraneous mat-
ter.)
Mr. KASTENMEIER. Mr. Speaker, 18
weeks have passed since the April 21 mili-
tary coup in Greece.
In view of the deteriorating situation
there and in view of King Constantine's
visit to Washington next week, I believe
we should today take another look at the
Greek political crisis. I would like to share
with you some of my thoughts in this
regard.
The "colonels' junta" has arrested
EXPORT OF ARMS
thousands of people and held them with-
(Mr. COHELAN (at the request of Mr. out formal charge, dissolved the political
PRYOR) was granted permission to ex- parties, forbade strikes, imposed a censor-
tend his remarks at this point in the ship of the press and the arts, voided the
RECORD and to include extraneous constitution, and abandoned any sem-
? matter.) blance of due process of law.
Mr. COHELAN. Mr. Speaker, there are They rule by force of arms-and the
many countries today which are desper- arms were supplied by the United States.
on
us
old constitution. It would be an i
ately 'in need of resources for the devel- Who are these people? power
opment of their country, but which are The inner group of the junta appar- to to believe they that had a the junta passion for seized d power
devoting much of their capital and re- ently numbers no more than two dozen
sources to large amounts of expensive colonels. They had served together as tional reform.
military equipment. In many cases the junior officers within the Army over a Even if the constitution is completed
need for military equipment is more period of many years, through both con- as scheduled by the 20 experts who were
imaginary than'real, but the burden on servative and liberal administrations. ordered to serve on the drafting panel
these struggling countries is real. They appear to be nonestablishment there is no guarantee that it will be put
The burden of the military effort in types, coming primarily from impover- into effect. Patakos has publicly stated
this, the richest country in the world, ished rural families. Contrary to some that the junta reserves the right to alter
Is felt in every' sector of our society. We accounts, they do not appear to be either or reject it. Furthermore, the junta will
have found it necessary to cut many vital thugs or bloodthirsty tyrants. They do, choose the time for a referendum on the
programs at home to maintain our effort however, show a contempt for politics constitution and then may not accept
in Vietnam. Consider the effect of even and politicians-and the workings of the result of the referendum or delay
a fraction of the U.S. expenditure on the democracy. There are few signs that they its effect.
economy- of a country whose needs are possess the talent of government over the What is likely to happen? What can
relatively much greater and whose long haul. They rule by decree and by the United States do? Where there short-
means are relatively much less than ours. the gun. And their public pronounce- comings in our Greek policy prior to
The. shipment of arms to such coon- ments indicate they have no intention of the coup? These are legitimate ques-
tries surely creates fears In the minds stepping down. tions for Congress to ask,
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some return to partial democracy. There
was nothing significantly wrong with the
ll
i
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H 11582 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - HOUSE August 31, 1967
What is likely to happen? These are
the apparent possibilities:
First. The junta will solidify itself in
power and run the country indefinitely;
Second. There will be a countercoup;
Third. Disorders, terrorist attacks, and
guerrilla warfare will break out, with the
leadership taken by the Communists;
Fourth. The junta will honor its orig-
inal pledge, and, having "purified" the
nation and restored "true democracy,"
will return to the barracks.
On the first possibility, the junta is
working hard to counter threats to it.
It has no popular base, but it has the
arms. Not only has the apparatus of the
far left been dismantled, but over 800
military officers also have been retired.
The junta is trying to defuse the power
of the potentially proestablishment of-
ficers.
In the face of these developments,
one might conclude that the logic of the
situation points to the second possibil-
ity, a countercoup. This movement could
be expected to represent the palace, some
Army officers, the Navy and Air Force,
and conservative interests. Presumably
out of a successful countrcoup would
come some sort of a guided, rightwing
"democracy." This-analysis is based on
an evaluation of what the United States
seemed to favor in the 2 years of crisis
which led to the April 21 coup.
If a countercoup of what may be
termed the "respectable right" does not
take place, or is defeated, the initiative
of opposition is likely to pass to the far
left. While the Communists received
only 10 percent of the vote in the last
election and while much of their appa-
ratus was destroyed in the first hours of
the coup, it nevertheless has the only
underground organization. The Center
Union is democratic-and powerless. All
it had was a majority of the people. It
lacks the financial and military might
of the palace and the right and it lacks
the conspiratorial character and foreign
support of the Communists.
The fourth possibility is the most re-
mote of all.
What can we do?
We must continue to press for the re-
lease of the several thousand political
prisoners. This especially includes the
former U.S. economist, Andreas Papan-
dreou, the man who had emerged as the
strongest long-run figure of the Center
Union and against whose "new politics"
the coup was largely directed.
We should continue to withhold mil-
itary aid, or at least limit it so severely
that we show that we disapprove of dic-
tatorship in the cradle of democracy. Ad-
mittedly, there is a delicate balance
beyond which we lose our leverage. But
the junta will likely bend ,quite a way
before risking a total break.
Third, we must look back and review
our precoup policies, painful as this may
be for some.
Ourpolicy in Greece was cautious, con-
servative, King-centered, and contrary to
the majority of the people. Our undis-
guised hostility to the Center Union, and
to Andreas Papandreou particularly, can
only have contributed to the atmosphere
which encouraged a coup.
In the Greece of the 1960's, two strong,
fairly responsible non-Communist par-
ties had emerged, the conservative E.R.E.
and the liberal Center Union. Both
seemed capable of governing. Indeed,
George Papandreou had seemed to prove
that progressive liberalism is the best
antidote to communism. Whereas in 1961
the Communist-front E.D.A. had re-
ceived 24 percent of the vote in an elec-
tion rigged against them, in 1964 Papan-
dreou's Center Union triumph reduced
the E.D.A. vote to 10 percent. Had the
May 1967 election been held, E.D.A.'s vote
probably would have shrunk further.
The normal swing of public feeling in a
democracy would have probably led to a
conservative victory in a year or two.
But the King's action In ousting George
Papandreou in June 1963-against U.S.
advice, it must be said-helped make the
78-year-old political spellbinder the most
popular man in modern Greek political
history. Subsequently we lent our encour-
agement to all sorts of patched-up coali-
tions and stalling actions to thwart an
election-and a predicted Center Union
victory.
Ironically, the King may recoup his
fortunes as he seems to be the most likely
vehicle for a return to some kind of
democracy.
Political polarization is taking place in
Greece and U.S. policymakers con-
tributed to it. Once again, "playing it
safe" with "solid," anti-Communist con-
servatives, meant playing It dangerously
in the-long run.
Our options at the moment are nar-
row, but only if we realize the mistakes of
the past will we be able to seize the oppor-
tunities of the future-when whatever
action we take or do not take will influ-
ence and affect the character of Greece's
return to democracy.
(Mr. VANIK (at the request of Mr.
PRYOR) was granted permission to ex-
tend his remarks at this point in the
RECORD and to include extraneous
matter.) -
[Mr. VANIK'S remarks will appear
hereafter in the Appendix.]
ADMINISTRATION FARM POLICY
(Mr. ALBERT (at the request of Mr.
PRYOR) was granted permission to extend
his remarks at this point in the RECORD
and to include extraneous matter.)
Mr. ALBERT. Mr. Speaker, some of our
colleagues on the other side of the aisle
are reviving-again-the tired, tortured
logicand the twisted facts regarding ad-
ministration farm policy, statements that
have been laid to rest-again and again-
by the simple truth.
I can only surmise that these Repub-
licans hope to wear out the defenders of
the American farmer by sheer verbiage,
and in that way to accomplish the
"policy" of no policy that they seem to
want.
Hanging its threadbare case on the
tenuous hook of a meeting of the Na-
tional Farmers Organization called to
discuss bargaining for prices the re-
search sector of the minority party has
issued a list of what it chooses to call
"harsh economic blows" that it says have
been dealt the farmer by this adminis-
tration.
Before once again knocking down these
long-since familiar strawmen, I would
like to note with great interest that the
statement by the opposition's task force
chairman makes no mention at all of the
collective bargaining plans of the NFO
at its Des Moines meeting. This is not
surprising, Mr. Speaker. The minority
party has never been a champion of col-
lective bargaining, whether for industrial
workers or for farmers.
In fact, Mr. Speaker, it is impossible
to tell from the gentleman's statement
whether the Republican Party is a cham-
pion of anything. There is not one con-
structive proposal in the entire state-
ment. Rather, it consists of a series of
hysterical negatives.
Mr. Speaker, the Democratic adminis-
tration, led by President Johnson, real-
izes full well that the farmer is not
getting his just share of the national
wealth; it realizes that he is entitled to
it, and that without farm programs he
will not get it because, as a seller, he is,
in effect, a prisoner of his buyer. This
administration is looking for better ways
in which to help him.
One of these possibilities is collective
bargaining for farmers, a principle that
has been endorsed both by President
Johnson and by Secretary of Agriculture
Freeman as worthy of serious study.
There has been a beginning of interest
In exploring this approach among several
farm groups. A study of this approach
would seem to me to be a more construc-
tive assignment for the staff of the task
force on agriculture of the Republican
planning and research committee than
using up reams of paper and wearing out
mimeograph machines reprinting old ad-
jectives, about old events and applying
the old illogic. Perhaps, Mr. Speaker, in
the interests of accuracy, it is time they
dropped the "G" from the GOP.
If you are old, and if you are weary,
and if the application of hard intellect
to hard problems is a chore, the easiest
path is to lay the burden on someone else,
and then head for the hills.
For the task force chairman to blame
this administration for the current slump
in commodity prices is like blaming the
home team's manager when the ball
game is rained out.
Mr. Speaker, it is a fact that because
of farm programs fought for and won
by this administration, often in bitter
struggles, the burdensome surpluses of
the fifties are gone, the market is freer
of Government now than it has been for
30 years, and nearer supply-demand bal-
ance than it has been for half a century.
Most of our farm programs are now
voluntary.
Net farm income in all probability will
be down this year, but it will be down
because of factors outside administration
control, such as world and domestic pro-
duction and weather, and the marketing
practices of farmers themselves. Do not
forget that it will be down from an all-
time record gross last year. And do not
forget, either, that it still will exceed the
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