Greece: The Besieged King

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The new government was, of course, dominated by the military. The sole civilian, who will probably be used as a figurehead, is Premier Constantine Kollias, 66, the former chief prosecutor in the Greek Supreme Court, who is a supporter of the King and an enemy of the Papandreous. General Spandidakis became Vice Premier and Defense Minister. The important Ministry of the Interior and Security went to Brigadier General Stylianos Patakos. The post of Secretary of the Cabinet went to Colonel George Papadopoulos, the commander of the Athens garrison, who reportedly directed the force that seized the armed forces radio station, occupied the government buildings and arrested political leaders. The other ministries were distributed among senior army, navy and air force officers and a few compliant civilians. In an action that had a certain tone of the Red Guard to it, they ordered the Greek radio to play martial music and give forth tirelessly with such slogans as "Let us take our heroic ancestors for an example" and "Let the flowers of regeneration bloom over the debris of the regime of falsehood."

Premier Kollias, a bespectacled, mustachioed man who had a reputation as a conservative while a civil servant, spelled out the government's new program on radio. He promised something for just about everybody. Greece's government, he said, endorsed the ideals of the United Nations and would stand by its commitment to NATO. It would try and settle the dispute with Turkey over Cyprus in an amicable way, would work at home for better education and government services, for higher wages and better distribution of the country's wealth. Kollias also promised to reform the country's backbiting political system and restore parliamentary rule—but he did not say when; next month's elections will almost certainly be called off. In fact, the flaw in the speech was the lack of detail about how Greece's military masters intend to accomplish what other leaders, including King Constantine, have tried and failed to do.

Not so Normal. By week's end, the new government was solidly enough in control to relax some of the security precautions. Barricades and machine-gun emplacements were removed from downtown Athens and Piraeus. Tanks returned to their bases. Greece's borders were once more opened to travelers; ports and airports resumed normal operations. Premier Kollias called on businessmen to reopen banks, stock exchanges and factories so that the country's economic life would not be harmed. Still, Greece had by no means returned to normal. Though many conservative politicians were released from custody, hundreds of others remained behind the walls of army compounds. Newspapers were not allowed to publish; the only radio allowed to operate in all of Greece was the armed forces' station. Martial law was still in effect, and soldiers continued to patrol the streets.

In this tense situation, the King remained the one unifying force in the country. The new government had without a doubt reduced his power, but his defiant disapproval of the coup had enhanced his stature. For years, the monarchy has depended all too heavily on the Greek military for support. It would now be Constantine's task to influence the military toward moderation—if he can—in order to lessen the chance that his country will slip into civil war.