The National Herald presents its special edition dedicated to

OCTOBER�28,�2017

The National Heraldwww.thenationalherald.comT

HE NATIONAL HERA

LD

28η

Οκτωβρίου

1940

By Eleftherios Pissalidis

NEW YORK – It was 3AM onthe morning of Monday Oct. 28,1940, when Italian Ambassadorto Greece Emanuele Grazzi de-livered an ultimatum to GreekPrime Minister Ioannis Metaxasin his house in Kiffisia, directlyfrom the Italian fascist dictatorBenito Mussolini. Mussolini, “IlDuce,” demanded totally freepassage with no resistance, mili-tary or otherwise, of the wholeItalian Army into Greece from thecountry’s borders with Albania.

Metaxas responded his refusalin French, “Alors, c’est la guerre,”translating “Then, it is war.” Afew hours later, history wrote oneof its most glorious chapters inthe Greek nation’s history and theword “Oxi,” Greek for “No”, washeard throughout the world.Greece was the first nation in Eu-rope to resist against one of thestrongest Axis powers.

The Italians couldn’t waitthough. A half hour before theexpiration of the ultimatum, at5:30AM, its forces enteredGreece from the Greek-Albanianborder. But they got by a sur-prise: while they thought itwould be an easy task to over-come – as Mussolini had stated,“in three days we will be inAthens,” suddenly they met fierceresistance.

Grazzi had received the ulti-matum at the Italian Embassy inAthens on October 26, but be-cause it contained many pages ittook some time to be decipheredand translated.

Grazzi was accompanied bytwo officials, Colonel Luigi Mon-dini, a military attaché to Greece,and an interpreter, De Salvo.

For the record, when Italy in-vaded Greece its army receiveda-four-day ration and five- dayammunition reserve. They be-lieved their Duce that it wouldbe an easy task to conquerGreece. Lt General SebastianoVisconti Prasca was convincedthat nine army divisions wereenough to fight, siege any resis-tance, and conquer the country.They thought their march toAthens would prove very success-ful in a matter of few days aftera sudden attack and massive in-vasion from the Greek-Albanianborderline. Their plan was setinto motion just a couple ofmonths earlier, on August 15,when one of their submarines hitand sunk the Greek cruiser Elli,docked in Tinos Island observingthe Feast Day of the Dormitionof Theotokos.

But the Italian hopes werebased on wrong and maybe falseinformation; Metaxas waspreparing the entire time and theGreek army was mobilized in se-crecy covering the possible pointsof entry.

The rest is history: Greeceheld back the Italian forces, en-tered Albania, and surrenderedwhen Nazi Germany declaredwar on April, 1941.

We have read numerous ac-counts and statements of notablepersons about the spirit andmoral of the Greek fighters. It isinteresting to observe the mean-ing of the Greek resistance in themainstream America at the time.United States officially was a neu-tral power; it hadn’t entered thewar yet, and did so after Decem-ber 7, 1941 when Japan, thethird Axis power, hit Pearl Har-bor.

Below are some editorials ofthe day from various newspapersaround the country.

FROM THE NY TIMESThe New York Times’ editorial

titled “The Fighting Greeks”stated that:

“Military experts point to themountainous and impassable na-ture of the terrain as one of thechief causes. For the difficultieswhich the Italians are having ininvading Greece through Albaniaand the west coast of the Grecianmainland. This is unquestionablythe case. But New Yorkers whoknow the Greeks in New Yorkwill bear witness to the fact thatthe Grecian people have qualitiesof toughness and endurance, ofthe will to survive, which unques-tionably have contributed to thepersistence of their defenses todate.

“The Greeks were not fortu-nate in the war against Turkeywhich began in 1921. But thiswas not so much the fault of theGreek soldiers as of the Greekhigh command and the Greek po-litical leadership, which at thetime left much to be desired. Fur-thermore, the Greeks were notthen engaged in defending theirhomeland against invasion.

“Since that time the trainingof the Greek Army has improved,and Greek morale is reported tobe high. This, in the final analy-sis, draws its strength from thenational character. No peoplethat have had to fight as persis-tently for mere survival as havethe Greeks could fail to have ac-quired tenacity of purpose andstrength of will. Theirs is a beau-tiful land-a supremely beautifulland. But it is not now, and neverhas been, fruitful. “A few regionslike the fields of Argos, whichwere cultivated even in the daysof Agamemnon, are still fertileand grow rich grain. Other riverbottoms and lands adjacent tothe sea are planted to crops andvineyards. But much of the landis stony. Some of it is fit only forthe cultivation of the olive. Al-most none of it yields more thana scant and simple living. Yet onthis soil the successive waves ofinvaders that came into Greecefrom the North during the lasttwo thousand years to minglewith the remnants of the olderGreek settlements, managed toproduce enough to survive, andto transmit to their children untodistant generations the energy,the sharp intelligence and the un-yielding courage which charac-terized the Greeks of old.

“We have seen those samequalities among the Greeks inthis country. Amazing industry,great resourcefulness, untiringcheerfulness even in the face ofdepression and disaster, and,above all, vitality and endurancethese are the qualities which wehave come to associate with ourHellenic-Americans.

“It is true, of course, that noteven these fine qualities of racialcharacter can avail much if pittedagainst vastly- superior equip-ment of an invader.

“But it is also true that thekind of mechanized tactics whichenabled. The Germans to achievesuch astoundingly rapid advancesinto Poland, and France, have lit-tle place in attacking a mountain-ous region which never hadroads of any value or importance.Let no man think that the Greeksof today are any less brave thanthe Greeks of old, that becauseGreece never regained the gloriesof its golden age, her people havedegenerated. They have lost apart of the traditions of ancientGreece, but their pride in beingHellenes is still great-which is yetanother reason why they areputting up such a good fight.”

FROM THE PROVIDENCEJOURNAL

The Providence Journal edi-torial “What Greece Has Accom-plished” stated:

“As the Italian armies in Al-bania continue to retreat beforerelentless attacks, we begin to geta fuller measure of Greece's enor-mous contribution to the war fordemocracy.

It is not merely that Mus-solini's troops have been hurledback from the soil of Greece and

prevented from making a quickmarch along the ancient road ofthe Caesars to keep a rendezvous,perhaps, with Hitler's army at theDardanelles. It is not writtenalone in Greece's mighty victo-ries.

“The immeasurable value ofGreece's remarkable light is theopportunity it has given Englandfor an offensive in the Mediter-ranean. It has given Britain, firstof all, a foothold on the Conti-nent, which she desperatelyneeded.

“It has given her new bases-Crete, the most important-formaking more effective her block-ade of Italy and of the Dode-canese and for cutting Italy's linesof communications to Albaniaacross the Adriatic and to Africa,where General Graziani's army isbogged down.

“Let us see what Greece's suc-cesses have accomplished. To be-gin with, they gave Great Britaina chance to take the initiative inthe Mediterranean, first, by sup-porting the Greek Army in theair; second, by occupying Crete;third, by landing troops andequipment in Greece, a move-ment which has continued withincreased pace as the Greekspushed forward Great Britain'sactivities, combined with Greeksuccesses, have impressed bothSpain and Turkey, as was demon-strated when Spain concluded anew

financial treaty with England,under which Spain will have theuse of her blocked funds in Lon-don for the purchase of badly-needed food supplies.

“The treaty is significant onlyinsofar as it guarantees thatSpain will not adhere to theRome-Berlin "new order'' for thepresent. An attack on Gibraltarthrough Spain is thus delayed,perhaps long enough to giveGreat Britain time for the offen-sive she has promised.

“Great Britain is preparing forvital action in the Mediterranean.It is known that she has trans-ferred some ships from the NorthAtlantic to the Mediterranean fortroop transports. She also hasbeen active in transporting menand equipment from Australia toRed Sea ports, through which herforces have been pouring for thedefense of the Suez against theItalians in Libya.”

FROM THE PHILADELPHIAINQUIRER

The Philadelphia Inquirer in“The Glory That Is Greece”wrote:

“The epic valor of the Greeksin driving back the Italian in-vaders, together with Britain'sstalwart resistance to Hitler'scrushing blows, has given newmeaning to human courage inwar.

“The heroes of ancient Greecelive again, awaiting only a newHomer to sing of gallant deeds,on mountain ranges and in snow-storms, in repulsing a foe frombeyond a historic stretch of sea.

"The glory that was Greece"has been reborn by the embattledEvzones who forced the enemyfrom Greek territory and pusheddeep into Italy-dominated Alba-nia.

“But ‘the grandeur that wasRome’ has not been recreated ina modern version. The entire Ital-ian thrust against Greece, itspreparation, organization, staffwork and military effectivenesssummon no vision of Rome's war-like past, except by invidiouscomparison.

“The Greece of the GoldenAge, the Greece of Pericles, ofThucydides, of Demosthenes, ofPlato, Aristotle, Leonidas and allthe other giants-in peace or war-of earlier epochs, are recalled bythe amazing events of the lastfew weeks.

“A Greece that in recent yearshad ranked as an important buthighly vulnerable member of theuneasy Balkan family has sud-denly blossomed forth as a Powerin its own right, with militarystrategy so skillful as to confoundand overwhelm large numbers ofMussolini's best troops. The won-der, it must be admitted, may notlast. The deeper the Greeks pushinto Albania the farther they arefrom their own bases. 1 There isdanger of traps and of a shortageof supplies. There is danger fromItalian reinforcements in superiornumbers.

“Even Homer could not over-estimate the great deeds of thisnew Greece as chronicled in mat-ter-of-fact language in the dailynewspapers. But the potentiali-ties of the modern Greeks'achievements vastly exceed thestoried victories of the ancients.

“It is by no means beyond thebounds of probability that theGreeks, fighting in the ruggedmountain passes, have accom-plished more than they nowdream. By showing conclusivelythat the Axis is not invinciblethroughout, they have causedhope to spring where little buthopeless resignation had existed.“’Earth! Render back from outthy breastA remnant of our Spartan dead!Of the three hundred grant butthree,To make a new Thermopylae!’“Too bad Lord Byron doesn't livetoday. He might find his prayeranswered.”

FROM THE ST. LOUISDISPATCH

The St. Louis Dispatch in“Gloomy Days for the Duce”wrote:

“On Mussolini, swaggeringimitator of the Caesars, humilia-tions rain thick and fast. The at-tack on Greece, planned as acheap and easy victory, is turnedinto defeat by the intended vic-tim's astounding resistance. Thehard-won gains of the campaignin Northern Africa are beingwrested away by the new Britishdrive. Grecian islands have be-come advanced British bases fortightening the blockade in theMediterranean, boastfully termed‘Our Sea’ by the Duce, and possi-bly for attacks upon Italy itself.“Three high-ranking comman-ders have retired as a result ofall these reverses. Reports of dis-content in Italy are verified byPopoto di Roma's front-page blastyesterday against

‘defeatists, alarmists, pes-simists and rumor mongers.’

“Nazi aid could perhaps turnthe tide, but if Mussolini calls forit, his humiliation is completeand the heel of the senior Axispartner upon his neck becomesfirmer than ever. His dream ofglory and loot for little effort,when he took Italy into war atits apparent eleventh hour lastJune, has been rudely shattered.Italian Fascism and its bullyingchief face their gloomiest hoursince the march on Rome 18years ago.”

FROM THE GALVESTONDAILY NEWS

The Galveston Daily News in“For Freedom and Decency”wrote:

“From time to time whileGreece remained in the war forfreedom and decency, the edito-rial columns of The GalvestonNews expressed the admirationAmericans felt for that gallant na-tion. To many of us it is a matterof profound regret that Americadid not enter the war in time tobe of direct military assistance toGreece.

“Now that America's strengthhas been dedicated to overthrowof the Axis tyrants, one of our in-flexible war aims must be therestoration of Greece to full na-tional sovereignty. “It will be im-possible to compensate the peo-ple of Greece in full for thesufferings they have endured. Butthe United Nations are bound bythe principles they profess to ac-cord immortal Greece the fullestpossible measure of restitution.

“No act of aggression in thelong series committed by the Axispowers was more devoid ofmoral justification than the attackon Greece. And no nation hasexcelled Greece in the valor of itsdefense against aggression.

“Greece set the world an ex-ample of courage and integrity.It must not and will not be for-gotten when the time comes torestore a sane international or-der.”

THE INQUIRER, AGAINA few weeks later, the Inquirer

wrote in “Greece at AnotherThermopylae”:

“In the long light of historywhat is happening in Europe to-day unquestionably will appearas fantastic to future generationsas tales of ancient wonders are

Oxi Day Special2 THE NATIONAL HERALD, OCTOBER 28, 2017

Continued on page 4

The Washington Oxi Day

Foundation

celebrates the profound role

Greece played in bringing about

the outcome of World�War�II�

and honors today those whose

David vs. Goliath courage,

like the Greeks in WWII,

can�alter�history and

preserve freedom and democracy.

Andy Manatos, PresidentMike Manatos, Executive Director

OXI DAYOCTOBER�28,�1940

www.OxiDayFoundation.org

a b

As Nazis expand their domination of the Europeancontinent, nearly sixty thousand Greek Jews mistakenlybelieve they are safe.Anna, a young Jewess from Salonika, has gone to livein Athens. Trained as a doctor, Anna knows if the Ger-man army invades, she will no longer be allowed topractice medicine at the hospitals.With great anguish, Anna masks her faith and her vo-cation to live as a Christian and avoid arousing any suspicion. Anna falls in lovewith Alexander, an Orthodox Christian.Documenting the terrible brutal occupation of Greece by the Nazis, Hidden in PlainSight shines a light on the plight of Greece’s Jews and the brave attempts of theArchbishop of Athens to protect them. Carefully researched and expertly plotted,this novel’s attention to detail and compelling characters will appeal to fans of his-torical fiction.

Available at Amazon

Paperback��$11.99

Hidden�in�Plain�SightΚaren Batshaw MSW

Author available for presentations

US Press Pays Tribute to Greek Heroic Resistance of 1940-42

Oxi Day SpecialTHE NATIONAL HERALD, OCTOBER 28, 2017 3

JOHN�CATSIMATIDIS

We proudly celebrate "OXI DAY"ΖΗΤΩ Η 28η ΟΚΤΩΒΡΙΟΥ 1940

Oxi Day Special4 THE NATIONAL HERALD, OCTOBER 28, 2017

to us. This new age of barbarism,with Adolf Hitler its high priest,relegates even farther into theshades the lawless eras of Attila,Genseric and Genghis Khan.

“But for Greece the drums ofvalor beat again, long after LordByron sang, "'T1s Greece, but liv-ing Greece no more!" Greece hashad an amazing renaissance.Having driven an aggressor fromher soil, the Greece of the heroiclegends lives again the Greece ofLeonidas and Thermopylae.

“What the blundering Mus-solini mistook for a land whosesun had set long ago arose in newstrength to repulse the invaderand send him staggering backinto the mountains of an Albaniahe had stolen from its own peo-ple.

“It was an epic deed ofcourage that gave hope and faithto the British and to distraughtnations everywhere.

“Greece now stands at an-other Thermopylae. The maraud-ing giant of the North aims hisdestroying tanks and planes atthe hills and vales where cen-turies ago, great philosopherstaught men to think in terms ofa democratic way of life. Not inthe Odyssey, not in the literatureof any country, is there recounteda more stirring crisis than isbravely confronted by Greece to-day.

“It is as if Thomas Campbell,in his "Song of the Greeks," hadwritten of this very moment:“’Again to the battle, Achaians!Our hearts bid the tyrantsdefiance;Our land, the first garden ofLiberty's tree,It has been, and shall yet be, theland of the free.’“Conquerors come and go, butthe battle for human liberty goeson forever.Whether or not the Greeks areforced to yield to brute might, thecourage they have displayed willshine on, a beacon to otherimperiled nations.”

THE JOURNAL, AGAINIn “the Greeks Go On,” the

Journal stated that: “Once again the Greeks are

living the real life of history.Pressed, as only Germany canpress a small nation, to abandonat a peace conference all theyhave won on the battlefield, theyhave chosen to stand theirground, courageously and deter-minedly. Greece will fight on, notalone against Italy, tottering nowon the brink in Albania, but, ifneed be, against the mighty ma-chine of destruction which Hitlerhas geared for action against hereastern flank. She will fight themboth, Germany and Italy, withsuch help as she can secure fromBritain, because the glory ofGreece today is the glory of free-dom and courage. If na6onal im-molation is the price to be paidfor national honor and nationalliberty, the Greeks will pay itwithout delay, without doubts,without fear.

“The Greeks are spirituallystrong, as the Finns were, and

hence they do not dread the ap-palling realities of the tragedywhich confronts them.

“They know it would be acoward's security to yield to Ger-many's demands, so they willhave none of it, even thoughHitler's hordes are ready to pourover their border with all theirengines of destruction. Theyrefuse to rationalize the "new or-der" as the sum and substance ofpeace and security and of futuregain, as Rumania and Bulgariadid, and they will fight for theirown order, their own integrity,their own freedom, their ownhonor.

“They will fight in the light ofhistorical experience and underthe compulsion of ancient tradi-tions which have had a new birthon the grim and terrible battle-fields of the Albanian mountains.

“It is a courageous decision,and it will give the British newcourage and the world newhope.”

WAR SECRETARY STIMSONHenry L. Stimson, Secretary

of War stated: “The valiant struggle of

Greece against aggression andthe triumphs of her defenders inthe face of enormous odds havethrilled the friends of democracythroughout the world. “It is ap-propriate that Greece, of all na-tions, should point the way tovictory over tyranny. “In ancientGreece democracy was born. Onthis small peninsula a classic cul-ture flourished that is a treasuredheritage of modern civilization.In her mountain passes a few an-cient heroes turned back the con-quering hordes of a strong in-vader. Today modern Greeks oncrags and peaks amid mountaingrandeur stand firm against op-pression. Again the aggressor isrouted by valiant sons of Greecewho have proved their right to aplace beside the heroes of antiq-uity. Friends of Greece are proudto add a laurel to her crown ofvictory and to render such mate-rial and moral assistance as shallinsure the final triumph of herstruggle for democracy.”

FROM THE NY HERALDTRIBUNE

A few weeks later and uponthe news of Ioannis Metaxas’death, the New York Herald Tri-bune wrote:

“An inescapable irony hungabout the small, stocky and ca-pable figure of Gen. JohnMetaxas, the permanent Premierof Greece. The leader of thebravest, boldest and most bril-liant resistance to the advance oftotalitarian dictatorship put upanywhere on the Continent ofEurope, he was himself a dictatorwho had copied many of hismethods directly from the totali-tarians.

“The winner of the first landvictories for the democratic causein the whole course of the war,he was a Prussian-trained soldier,the onetime star pupil of the Pots-dam War College. It was an ironyof fate; and now the Great Iro-nist, who has passed over somany other dictators, has dealt

unkindly with the democraticcause in suddenly taking this one,who rendered democracy sogreat a service at a time when itwas badly needed.

“But these are the surface ac-cidents of life which only childrencan expect to follow exact andperfect patterns. If he was an un-expected fighter for democracy,Gen. Metaxas was also an un-usual dictator. He abolished Par-liament, had himself made Pre-mier for life, ruled by decree, bya powerful police organization,by censorship and suppression.On the other hand, he fomentedno wars, he rarely madespeeches, he indulged in nopageantry or drama, he main-tained no sycophants to deifyhim, he was content if the popu-lace referred to him, not asLeader or Duce or Chieftain, butas ‘Uncle Johnny.’ He was a hard-headed, hard-working, unpreten-tious administrator, who restedhis claim to authority on the factthat he got things done. He sup-ported his King and he believedin Greek independence. Takingpower at a time when Greecewas in a state of near chaos, heunified his country, armed it, andgave it the will and nerve whichwere to enable it to rise, whenthe crisis came, and fight for itslife and its essential liberties witha heroism and a success that havebeen the envy of every other Eu-ropean people.

“This was a great work; it hasprobably saved Greece; it hasdoubtless had a great part in thesaving of Europe and the WesternWorld from the hopeless blightof totalitarian despotism. Thepatterns are never perfect. Butthe democratic cause need feelno shame in taking help from thequalities which Metaxas broughtto his times.

FROM THE NY EVENING SUNThe New York Evening Sun,

in its editorial titled “In ParallelColumns” wrote:

“History, which has its ownironies, will not fail to place sideby side certain passages from theweek's proclamations by theGreek and Italian Premiers. Inone column it will place thesewords which Premier Mussoliniaddressed to his army: after sixmonths of most sharp fighting,the enemy has laid down hisarms. The victory consecratesyour bloody sacrifices, especiallysevere for the land forces, and il-luminates your flags with newglory. The fatherland is proud ofyou as never before.

“In a parallel column historywill place this extract from thewords addressed by PremierTsouderos to the Greek people:We are defending ourselvesagainst an unfair aggression, butalso against the unprecedentedinfamy on the part of an empireof 100,000,000 that struck usfrom the back in order to say itscowardly colleague and partner,whom we had defeated. Fromthe endurances of this hard strug-gle against our race, which is dis-approved by all those who aremorally superior and by free peo-ples of the world, who have ex-pressed their disgust, we shallcome out victorious, glorious andgreat. Nor will history fail todraw further contrasts. It will ob-serve that at the outset of thisstruggle Germany had some80,000,000 of people of Germanlanguage and blood; that Italyhad well over 40,000,000 peopleof Italian language and blood;that Greece l1ad only a littlemore than 6,000,000 people ofGreek language and blood. Itmay be a bit difficult for historyto see just where in a struggle inwhich one side could put twentyarmed men into the field for eachsoldier the other could muster-glory for the conqueror came in.It will not have any such diffi-culty, however, in appraising thewords of the Greek King who, inthe darkest hour of defeat, wastelling his people to fight on,faithful to tl1e ideal of an undi-vided free country.”

FROM THE RICHMONDDISPATCH

The Richmond Dispatch wrotein its editorial titled “For the Heirsof Leonidas”:

“Virginians will be given an

opportunity, beginning today, the120th anniversary of Greek inde-pendence, to contribute to the re-lief of the bravely battling littlenation which already has per-formed such prodigies of valor,and whose hard-pressed soldiersand civilians sorely need blan-kets, medicines, disinfectants,bandages and food.

“History has few parallels forthe valiant, almost incredible ex-ploits performed by the Greeksoldiery in the war now ragingin the Balkans. Seemingly out-numbered and outgunned by amargin of two or three to one,practically without warplanesand expected to collapse in tl1eface of the Italian offensive, theGreeks hurled back the invadersand drove them all the way to

the Adriatic. For months theyhave kept the initiative, and eventoday, with adjacent Yugoslaviaapparently about to fall into theclutches of the Axis, the Greeksshow no signs of wavering.

“How can Virginians fail to re-spond to the appeal of such apeople?

“How can they decline to aidthis little nation which is battlingfor its life, and evidencingun1linching courage, in the faceof the mighty Axis war machinepoised on its frontiers?

“Today, in all the Richmondmotion picture theatres, appealsfor Greek war relief will beflashed on the screen, and Greekboys, in the costume of the re-doubtable Evzones, and Greekgirls dressed as shepherdesses,will be on hand. The brave heirsof Epaminondas and Leonidaswill know that Virginia wishes togive tangible expression to heradmiration of the stand they aremaking against the would-beconquerors of the world.”

GOV. THOMAS DEWEYNew York Governor Thomas

E. Dewey said the Greek struggleagainst the Axis powers: "Thewhole world rightly admires theheroism with which the Greeknation defended their soil againstthe Axis hordes sent by the Fas-cist government to loot thepeaceful and beautiful land ofGreece. "This great struggle ofthe Greek people, which gave aninspiring example to the world,is comparable with the gloriousbattle of Thermopylae. AlthoughGreece has been beaten and oc-cupied by the invaders, she hasnot ceased fighting. Thousandsof Greeks who succeeded in es-caping the Fascist yoke are nowin the forces of the United Na-tions in all parts of the world.

"In occupied Greece the spiritof freedom is, even today, strug-gling fiercely against the invader.Americans of Greek descentshould be proud of the heroismof their blood brothers in Greeceproper who are fighting againstbestial oppression.

“They should also be proud ofthe fact that over 100,000 menof Greek descent are in the ranksof the American Army and areparticipating on all fronts in thestruggle for the preservation ofAmerican ideals and institutions.

"My admiration for my com-patriots of Greek descent is greatindeed. During my tenure of of-fice I knew them closely, havingworked with them for nobleraims. Their devotion to theUnited States of America andtheir patriotism has always beento me a source of inspiration."

FROM THE PROVIDENCEEVENING BULLETIN

The Providence Evening Bul-letin wrote in its editorial titled“Why They Chose Battle”:“Greece is a nation of 7,000,000,yet it chose to beat back an attackby Italy-a nation of 40,000,000.And in so doing, it dared to defyItaly's boss-ally- a nation of80,000,000.

Similarly Yugoslavia, a nationof 15,000,000, chose to fightrather than surrender. And in sodoing, it knew it would bringdown upon its head the sameforce that Greece challenged-theregimented might of two nationswith a combined population of120,000,000.

“Why did 7,000,000 Greeksand 15,000,000 Yugoslavs thusmake up their minds to stand upagainst these tremendous odds?And what has it profited them todo so? As Hitler drives tri-umphantly through the Balkans,such questions naturally suggestthemselves, and they merit an-swers-if only to rebut a few ofthe superficial remarks now be-ing made about the ‘futility’ ofGreek and Yugoslav resistance.

“In some quarters, for exam-ple, it is suggested that Greeceand Yugoslavia would haveyielded submissively if Britainand the United States had notstepped in with a promise of aid.Unquestionably this promise wasencouraging, but we do theGreeks, and the Yugoslavs smallhonor if we suppose that they de-cided to fight only because of it.

The Greeks and the Yugoslavsare intelligent peoples, and intaking their stand against NaziGermany, they knew that Ameri-can aid could reach them in

quantity only if the enemy wereheld back for a considerable pe-riod of time. Moreover, theyknew the size of the British ex-peditionary force in the Balkans,and they knew they were under-taking great risks. Their eyeswere wide open, and they wentinto the battle with complete re-alization of the dangers theyfaced. To this extent they gam-bled, but their gamble was thegamble of heroes.

“And who can say that theyhave lost? Who can say that theircourage and sacrifice have prof-ited them nothing? Who can sayanything of that sort when thedecision of this war has yet to bereached? Not until the final battleis won, not until this great worldconflict is at an end, will it bepossible to talk authoritativelyabout Greek gains or Greek lossesand Yugoslav gains or Yugoslavlosses. 'For the war is still far frombeing over, and the long-timegamble of heroic Greece andheroic Yugoslavia continues to be

sound. If Hitler is crushed-andit is the firm faith of Britain andAmerica that he will be crushed-then the Greeks and the Yu-goslavs will have won.

“Meanwhile, even thoughHitler may soon control all theBalkans, Greece and Yugoslaviacan credit themselves with hav-ing caused him heavy losses inmen and materials and with hav-ing upset his timetable in a waywhich history may describe as de-cisive. Their honor and theirheroism bade them to choosebattle instead of shameful sur-render, and if the forces of evilare not to inherit the earth, theirchoice will be well' rewardedwhen the peace is made.”

HARRISON COFFINHarrison C. Coffin, Chairman

of the Division of Literature, atUnion College in Schenectady,NY wrote a hymn to the fightingGreeks titled “Lest We Forget”:

“Greece has been the teacherof the world. The Greek thinkersand writers, the philosophers,historians and dramatists haveleft an immortal legacy. In manyreal ways our world, of whosemodernity we are inclined toboast, would be very differentwithout those majestic contribu-tions of the Greek genius whichstill stir our admiration and exciteour envy. It is impossible to over-estimate the civilizing force of theGreek genius, and we might evensay with Georg Brandes, thatGreece, not Palestine, is the HolyLand.

“But there was a sterner sideto the Greek character. TheGreeks produced great poets, in-spired artists, subtle thinkers, but

they also produced fighting menwhose achievements we.re thewonder of the world. Dr. Johnsononce said: "That man is little tobe envied whose patriotismwould not gain force upon theplain of Marathon, or whosepiety would not grow warmeramong the ruins of Ionia." In-deed, those men of Marathon,those men who saved Athensfrom the Persians when Greece"stood upon a razor's edge,"seemed to their own descendantsto be more than human, just asLeonidas and his desperate band,by holding the pass at Thermopy-lae, have left a name that will en-dure as long as men remembercourage or admire devotion.Even the supposedly invincibleRoman had reason to respect thevalor of the Greek fighting man,and that valor has been provedon many fields and in many ages.

“This war has once more putthe Greeks to the test, just as ithas put to the test most of theworld. Once again the Greekstood up to defend his native soil,and it was not until the Greekarmy had been crushed by theoverpowering might of the Ger-mans that they yielded, defeatedbut unconquered.

“It is only right that men inother lands should be remindedof the Greek people, of the con-tribution that Greek civilizationhas made to the modern world,and of the stubborn courage andfighting spirit that the Greeks oftoday have shown. Greece is oneof the United Nations, and to thelimit of their ability those Greekswho are not under the Nazi yokeare supporting our combined ef-fort to defeat the aggressor andto restore to the oppressed peopleof Europe their rightful freedom.We should be proud to hail theGreeks as partners in a greatcause, and we should alwayskeep before us the example theyhave set.

“On the tomb of the UnknownSoldier at Athens is carved a linefrom the great historian Thucy-dides: ‘The whole earth is thesepulchre of famous men.’ ManyGreeks have fallen in defense oftheir native land, and their ex-ample may well serve to encour-age the determined armies thatare now in process of bringingthe Axis to defeat. As long as mencherish the memory of greatthoughts and high deeds, theGreeks can never be forgotten.”

FDROn the occasion of the second

year from Greece’s resistanceagainst Italy, President FranklinD. Roosevelt's wrote a “Messageto Greece”:

“October 28, 1942.“My Dear Mr. Ambassador:“On the early morning of Oc-

tober 28, 1940, the Fascist ag-gressors handed an ultimatum toGreece. The challenge was hurledback without a moment's hesita-tion. This was what might havebeen expected from a gallant andcourageous people devoted totheir homeland. You commemo-rate tonight the second anniver-sary of the beginning of the totalresistance of the Greek people tototalitarian warfare.

“More significant, even, thanthe initial reply to the challengeis the fact that Greece has con-tinued to fight, with every meansat its command. When the Greekmainland was overrun, the resis-tance was carried on from the is-lands. When the islands fell, re-sistance continued from Africa,from the seas, from anywhere theaggressor could be met.

“To those who prefer to com-promise, to follow a course of ex-pediency or to appease, or tocount the cost, I say that Greecehas set the example which everyone of us must follow until thedespoilers of freedom every-where have been brought to theirjust doom”

AMBASSDOR’S REPLYThe Greek Ambassador in

Washington, Cimon Diaman-topoulos, replied :

“October 29, 1942.“My dear Mr. President:“I wish to convey to you my

heartfelt gratitude for the letterof October 28th, which washanded to me on your behalf bythe Honorable Sumner Welles,Under Secretary of State, at themeeting held yesterday eveningin commemoration of Greece'sgallant stand against the Italianaggression.

“Your inspiring words expressan invaluable appreciation of theeffort of the Greek people who,throughout their centuries oldhistory, underwent many sacri-fices in order to defend and pre-serve their most cherished tradi-tion for independence, and yourhigh appraisal of their examplein the present struggle againstthe despoilers of freedom will bea precious encouragement to thefighting Greek forces and to thewhole Greek nation. Be assuredthat all free peoples look withfervent hope to this great countryand its illustrious leader for theprevalence of liberty and justicefor which we are fighting.

“Please accept, my dear Mr.President, the expression of mydeep respect.”

TNH Staff

ATHENS – An exhibition of his-torical photographs at the Na-tional Archaeological Museum(NAM) will commemorate OxiDay, when Greece turned downan Italian ultimatum for freepassage on October 28, 1940and thus entered World War II.

“In the Shadow of the GreatWar: Recording Museum Mem-ories Before and After the Ger-man Occupation” is a productof collaboration among the mu-seum, the French ArchaeologicalInstitute, and the National Cul-tural Asset Archive.

The photographs show exhi-bition halls in the NAM and inthe Archaeological Museum atDelphi, the site the French

School has excavated since the19th century. The photographsrecord the process of stowingaway all antiquities at both mu-seums during World War II.

From the end of 1940 toApril, 1941, both museums col-lected, packed, and buried theirantiquities under the floors ofthe museums to prevent dam-age from bombing and possiblelooting. Other museums else-where in Greece followed thesame procedure, saving severalartifacts from irrevocable dam-age and destruction.

The laborious process ofpacking and, after the war, un-packing, and restoring the ob-jects has been recorded throughthe photographs comprising theexhibition.

Burying Treasure in WWIIExhibit at the NationalArchaeological Museum

Visitors sit at the entrance of the National Archaeological Mu-seum of Athens.

US Press Pays Tribute to Greek Heroic Resistance of 1940-42Continued from page 2

AP PHOTO/PETROS GIANNAKOURIS

Oxi Day SpecialTHE NATIONAL HERALD, OCTOBER 28, 2017 5

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AHEPA Headquarters 1909 Q St., NW, Suite 500

Washington, DC 20009 • Phone: 202.232.6300 • Fax 202.232.2140

American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association,

preserving Hellenism since 1922.

Often duplicated, Never imitated, join today ahepa.org!

The Order of AHEPA,

Supreme President Carl R. Hollister,

the Supreme Lodge, and all elected officers,

remember the heroes of October 28, 1940

Oxi Day Special6 THE NATIONAL HERALD, OCTOBER 28, 2017

By Eleni Sakellis

Constance Constant, author of Austin Lunch and American Kid,spoke with The National Herald about her books and writingprocess. She told TNH that she and her husband were taking a tripto the Midwest. “I’ve been invited to speak about American Kid atthe National Hellenic Museum in Chicago, on October 22, as partof their Oxi Day commemoration. Then, on October 26, the Philop-tochos of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church of Ann Arbor, Michi-gan has invited me to give an American Kid book talk. I am lookingforward to both events. I am especially pleased to be speaking atAnn Arbor, because that city plays a key role in my book.”

Constant added, “I have always been interested in history. Inwriting my first book, Austin Lunch, I became more interested inGreek history and Greek-American history. John’s story involvedso many aspects of history: U.S.; Greek; World (as in WWII); and,surely, because John is Greek-American, also Greek-American his-tory. I, sadly, have found that people outside the Greek communityare unaware Greece was “in” WWII, let alone that Greece was vi-ciously occupied by the Nazis. Unfortunately, the Greek peoples’heroic resistance to the Nazis has been forgotten or overlooked. Indoing research for American Kid, I saw, first hand, that whileshelves in American public libraries are filled with books on WWII,a minuscule number of those books, if any, are about Greece inWWII. Few WWII history books tell about what it is like to be aninnocent child victim of WWII, let alone an American child trappedin the war. Also, I found John’s and his family’s story is so uniquethat, having written a book already, I felt the importance of writinga war story (especially WWII in Greece) from a child’s point ofview. It became important to me to write the war story of themother, Katherine, a courageous, real-life heroine. The Americanfamily represents millions of other families in the world during thewar who endured fear, starvation, and horrific violence. Sadly In-nocent families in some parts of the world are still suffering therepercussions of war. When will it ever end?

TNH: Did John contact you initially to write his story?CC: No, John did not contact me to write the book, I suggested

the book to John. When I first met John and learned he had beenan American kid trapped in WWII, I heard a very brief synopsis ofhis story and it stuck in my heart and my mind. After becoming apublished author with Austin Lunch, I suggested to John that Iwrite his WWII story. He had an interest to tell his story and agreedto reveal his war experiences to me. John’s recollections were vivid.

Even though some memories were emotionally difficult for him toexpress, sharp recollections easily poured out of him. He recalledfascinating aspects of village life. Many readers have commentedon how American Kid is an interesting chronicle of Greek villagers'connection to the earth, their customs, lifestyles, and the self-im-posed “rules” by which Greek villagers ran their lives and their vil-lage in the 1930s and 1940s.

TNH: What was the writing process like for this book?CC: The writing process began with doing much research on

WWII, especially WWII in Greece. I also interviewed adults, bothin Greece and in the U.S. (other than John and his siblings) whowere children in Greece during the war, including adults who werechildren in the same village (as John’s family) during the war. Theexperiences I heard from these people corroborated John’s story. Ialso visited the Greek village in Laconia, where, along with therest of the village's citizens, John and family had been terrorized,and occupied. In the spring of 1944, as the war was ending in anobvious loss for the Germans, Nazis soldiers arrived to do moreharm to the villagers, attempting to burn down the village. A fewburned but unrepaired, unoccupied houses still exist in the village.

TNH: How long did the book take from idea to publication?CC: It took about eight years from the decision to write the

book until I had a hard copy of a published “American Kid” in myhand. During those eight years, I was not writing full time, eighthours a day, because I had other responsibilities to take care of.When I was writing, I worked at the computer for about threehours in the early morning, the hours I do my best thinking andwriting. During my eight-year writing project, I constantly thoughtabout the book I was writing, even while taking walks, while cook-ing, washing dishes, etc. I wrote and then constantly edited to im-prove the wording. I encountered the problems every writer meetsin putting thoughts down on paper, hoping to capture a reader’sinterest. I find that although I write on the computer, I actuallyneed to see my words on paper in order to edit them. I was con-stantly tweaking my writing. Self-editing and re-writing is, for me,a constant and vital part of improving one’s writing- great exercisefor the brain.

LITERARY REVIEW

Author Constance Constant Talks to TNH about Her World War II Book

American Kid: Nazi Occupied Greece through a Child's Eyes byConstance Constant.

AMAZON

TNH Staff

Voula Papaioannou, alongwith Costas Balafas, SpyrosMeletzis, and Takis Tloupas, isone of several prominent Greekphotographers who came to ma-turity during the Occupationand Greek Civil War. Her imagesfrom the Occupation are uniquedocuments of the period. Herphotographs present the miseryand pain of the Occupation aspart of life, and her subjects areinfused with the breath of spon-taneity.

Voula Papaioannou was bornin Lamia and grew up in Athens.She began working as a photog-rapher during the 1930s, con-centrating at first on studies oflandscapes, monuments, and ar-chaeological exhibits. The out-break of war in 1940 marked aturning point in her career, asshe was intensely affected bythe suffering of the civilian pop-ulation of Athens. Realizing thepower of her camera to arousepeople’s conscience, she docu-mented the troops departing forthe front, the preparations forthe war effort, and the care re-ceived by the first casualties.When the capital was in the gripof starvation, she revealed thehorrors of war in her movingphotographs of emaciated chil-dren.

After the liberation, as amember of the photographicunit of the United Nations Reliefand Rehabilitation Administra-tion (UNRRA), she toured theravaged Greek countrysiderecording the difficult livingconditions faced by its inhabi-tants. She immortalized thefaces and personal stories of or-dinary people in photographsthat stressed dignity rather thansuffering.

Voula Papaioannou’s workrepresents the trend towards“humanitarian photography”that resulted from the abuse ofhuman rights during the war.Her camera captured her com-patriots’ struggle for survivalwith respect, clarity, and a de-gree of personal involvement

that transcends national bound-aries and reinforces one’s faithin the strength of the commonman and the intrinsic value ofhuman life. Her later pho-tographs continued her unvar-nished depiction of life inGreece, never romanticizing thestruggles of the people but al-ways full of hope for a betterfuture.

Books featuring her work areavailable online, includingVoula Papaioannou: Images ofDespair and Hope: Greece 1940-1960 published in 1995 by theBenaki Museum in Athens. Thebook, by Irini Boudouri, is a cat-alog of the works included inthe museum’s exhibition whichran from March 31-May 5,1995. Also from the Benaki Mu-

seum, Voula Papaioannou: Tes-timonies from Greece during theOccupation and the Post-war Pe-riod from the PhotographyArchive of the Benaki Museumedited by Fani Constantinou.

Voula Papaioannou: Photographer of Life in Greece during the WarIconic images by photographer Voula Papaioannou.

Photos by Voula Papaioannou,along with the photographerherself, center.

By Eleni Sakellis

Members of AHEPA andother interested individuals at-tended the Oxi Day Commemo-ration discussion hosted by EM-BCA (East MediterraneanBusiness Culture Alliance) at the3 West Club in Midtown Man-hattan on October 5.

The lively discussion, entitledThe Importance of Oxi Day inthe Modern World, offered in-sights into the history and mean-ing of October 28, 1940 not justfor the people of the HellenicRepublic but also for Hellenes ofthe Diaspora, especially those inthe United States, and for theentire world. The tremendous

victory against the fascist Italianforces in the mountains of north-ern Greece and Albania gavehope to all the nations that hadfallen under Axis oppression,forced Hitler to change his plans,delaying the invasion of Russia(then-Soviet Union), and essen-tially turning the tide of the war.The famous quote from WinstonChurchill was mentioned:“Hence, we will not say thatGreeks fight like heroes, but thatheroes fight like Greeks.”

EMBCA President Louis Kat-sos, who is also AHEPA District6 Director of Hellenism, spokeabout the importance of OxiDay, noting that it is “a nationalHellenic holiday [and] repre-

sents when the Hellenic PrimeMinister Ioannis Metaxas wasawoken to respond to a seriesof demands from a representa-tive of the World War II AxisPowers which would have al-lowed foreign troops free reignin Greece which was a neutralnation at the time. His responseto these demands a simple ‘Oxi’(no) led to battles of historicalinternational consequences forEurope and the free world. Itwas the first time in the Euro-pean theater that the Axis Pow-ers were defeated after takingover country after country,raised the hopes of occupied Eu-rope, and caused the Nazi forcesthat were scheduled to attackthe Soviet Union to divert theirplans and invade Greece in-stead. This diversion led to a de-lay in the Nazi invasion of theUSSR, which in turn led to theNazis’ eventual defeat there inthe Soviet winter. As per the ti-tle of AHEPA’s Ellis Island Octo-ber 28th event, ‘Oxi Day:Courage to Resist’ had an im-portance that went beyond theHellenic Republic.”

Among the slides accompa-nying Katsos’ presentation werea translation of Metaxas’ mes-sage in response to the threatof invasion and cartoons fromnewspapers in the United Stateswhich covered the events inGreece during World War II withgreat interest. Katsos noted thatthe representation of the Greeksstanding up to the Axis powerseven in something as simple asa cartoon, changed the percep-tion of the Hellenic-Americancommunity. From being anothermarginalized immigrant group,like all immigrant groups beforeand after them, they gainedsome acceptance and greater re-spect in the wider American cul-ture for the bravery, courage,and heroism demonstrated bythe Hellenes of the homeland.

Also in the presentation wasthe cartoon titled When GreekMeets Greek, which refers to aline from Nathaniel Lee’s forgot-ten tragedy, The Rival Queens

of Alexander the Great, “whenGreeks joined Greeks then wasthe tug of war.” The line is oftenmisquoted and misunderstoodas meaning Greeks fight amongthemselves, when it actuallymeans that Greeks are suchstrong and stubborn fighters,when united to defend theircountry, standing shoulder toshoulder, they could not be de-feated.

AHEPA Supreme GovernorThomas Dushas, whose rootsare from Northern Epirus, wel-comed everyone to attend theAHEPA Oxi Day Commemora-tion planned for October 28 onEllis Island and noted the newwebsite for the event which in-

cludes valuable informationabout the event and about thehistory of Oxi Day. Dushas ob-served the incredible couragewith which the men and womenof Greece fought. The commem-oration on October 28, Dushasnoted, will include a reception,lectures and a film screening ofThe 11th Day, about the men,women and children of the Cre-tan civilian resistance move-ment and their relentless battleagainst the Nazi Occupationforces from 1941-45, as well astime for attendees to experienceEllis Island and its museum.

James Zafiros, AHEPA NewRochelle Chapter 405 Treasurer,spoke briefly about his hope that

the historic Oxi Day and the up-coming commemoration eventwill inspire someone from thecommunity to fund a film pro-ject in the way that Kirk Kerko-rian, the late billionaire busi-nessman and former owner ofMGM, financed The Promiseabout the Armenian Genocidewith $100 million.

Kerkorian, whose parentsfled the Genocide that killed anestimated 15 million people,passed away in 2015, just amonth before the production be-gan, but his lifelong dream ofseeing this film made became areality. Zafiros hopes that a filmabout Oxi Day will also bringthe history to a wider audience.

Oxi Day SpecialTHE NATIONAL HERALD, OCTOBER 28, 2017 7

By Eleni Sakellis

The Consulate General ofGreece in New York presentedthe opening of the photographicexhibition Faces of War, Greece1940-1944: From Occupation toLiberation, on October 18.

The exhibition consists of aselection of original and unpub-lished photos from the archivesof the Greek Secretariat Generalfor Media and Communicationsand the Greek National Broad-caster ERT. Covering the War,the German occupation and the

Great Famine, the National Re-sistance, and the Liberation, theexhibition offers a glimpse intohistory and reminds us ofGreece’s pivotal role in turningthe tide of World War II begin-ning with that fateful “Oxi.”

As noted in the news release,“It is our ultimate duty to honorin total the Greek people fortheir heroism, the sacrifices theyendured, the fights they foughtfor independence, freedom,democracy, and justice.”

In his speech at the event,Consul General KonstantinosKoutras, noted that the “Oxi”(no) of the Greeks in 1940 sur-prised the Italians and thewhole world. He continued,“The Greek Army fought underextremely difficult conditionsagainst the Italian divisions anddrove them back 60 kilometersacross the border into Albania.With the same heroism, theGreeks faced Hitler’s forces in1941, but in the end wereforced to retreat. After the oc-cupation of Greece by the Ger-mans, the terrible period of oc-cupation followed, which theGreek people faced with

courage and the National Resis-tance. During the occupation,our country suffered all sorts ofdisasters, from the dissolutionof the productive fabric of thecountry, the compulsory lendingby the Bank of Greece, the plun-dering of our cultural heritage,to the culmination of the atroc-ities of the occupying troopswith the recognized holocauststhroughout the Greek territory,the executions of innocent civil-ians and children, as retaliationfor the acts of resistance of ourpeople. But on October 12,

1944, it was the time of ourmuch-deserved and costly lib-erty. The Germans left Athensand Greece was unified. Soended a four-year war thatwrote pages of glory in the his-tory of our country.”

Consul General Koutras saidin conclusion, “Although 77years have passed since thattime, the dangers remain, as thewar today is economic, spiritual,moral. The heroes of the 1940sepitomize the ideals that char-acterize the Greek for 3,000years: love for freedom, gen-erosity, philotimo, dignity, con-sistency in the performance ofduty, debt to history, love to Godand the homeland. With theseresources, Greece will onceagain be victorious in this mod-ern war, it will again win itshonor and its place in History.”

The Director of the Press Of-fice of the Permanent Missionof Greece to the UN, IoannisBouboukis, who thanked theConsul General for the begin-ning of a new collaboration withthe Consulate General of ourcountry in New York, as well asthe services and the staff of the

General Secretariat of Informa-tion and Communication, whichprovided the valuable materialfor this exhibition. He brieflyquoted from the five sections ofthe exhibition: The Front,Famine, Resistance and theArmed Opposition, Effects ofWar, and Liberation, whilepointing out that the exhibitionalso includes an 18-minute longdocumentary and a 12.5-minuteslide show.

Lana Zochiou, the new Con-sul of Greece in New York wasalso introduced by Consul Gen-eral Koutras at the event. Thosein attendance all wished Zochiouthe best in her new position.Among those present were Am-bassador Vasilios Philippou- Con-sul General of Cyprus in NewYork, Fr. Robert Stephanopoulosand his wife Nikki, Nancy Pa-paioannou- President of AtlanticBank, Dr. Marinos Petratos, Dr.Miranda Kofinas, and JamesDemetro, among many othermembers of the community.

OXI Day ExhibitionOpens at the GreekConsulate in NY

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PHOTOS: TNH/ELENI SAKELLIS

1. The attendeesviewing the OXIday photoexhibition at theopeningreception.

2. The OXI dayphoto exhibitionat the GreekConsulate inNew York.

3. Images from thefamine duringthe Occupation.

4. Images from theLiberation ofGreece.

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Ζήτω το Επος του ’40Ζήτω η 28η Οκτωβρίου

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AHEPA Oxi Day Commemoration Discussion Held in Midtown

One of the cartoons depicting the heroism of the Hellenes ofthe past and also the present during World War II that appearedin many U.S. newspapers at that time.

Oxi Day Special8 THE NATIONAL HERALD, OCTOBER 28, 2017

With Greek pride we are celebrating“OXI” Day of October 28, 1940

Remembering the Greeks who Fought and Diedfor our Ηomeland GREECE

ΖΗΤΩ Η 28Η ΟΚΤΩΒΡΙΟΥ 1940!

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