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METAXAS
DIES
INSPIRER OF
GREEKS
LONDON, Wednesday. -
General John Metaxas, the
popular Premier-Dictator of
Greece, died in Athens this
morning after an operation
for throat trouble. He was
aged .70 years.
He was reported seriously ill yes
terday after his operation on Satur
day.
General Metaxas was the inspirer
and chief leader of the heroic Greek
resistance against Fascist treachery in
Albania. With General Papagos, the
Greek Commander-in-Chief, the Pre
mier planned the resistance when
Mussolini declared war on Greece, and
the exploits of the Greek forces after
falling back on the frontier at the
outset have been a series of crushing
defeats which have made history.
General Metaxas did not live to see
his work carried out, but without
doubt he has set his people on the
road to victory.
New Pslmier
Athena announces that the now
Premier will be M. Alexander
Corizis, Governor of the Bank of
Greece and Minister of Health in
General Metaxas' Government.
General Metaxas made himself vir
tual Dictator of Greece by a "blood
less coup" in August, 1936. Feeling
that the Parliamentary system had be
come unworkable owing to the fact
that the Communists held the balance
of power in the Chamber, he used
the threat of a general strike as his
signal to strike. Parliament was dis
solved overnight by decree, martial
law was enforced and ' number of
Opposition leaders were quietly ar
rested. General Metaxas emerged as
Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign
Affairs, Minister for far, Navy and
Air.
Internal Reform
The early months of the dictator
ship were mainly occupied with inter
nal reform, encouragement of com
merce, new public buildings and par
ticularly educati-n.
General Metaxas eventually took
over the Ministry of Education in ad
dition to his other duties in Novem
ber, 1938. He immediately put an end
- to the discords which had arisen in
the church over the election of a new
patriarch an( set to work to form a
National. Youth Organisation for the
promotion of culture and patriotism.
Meanwhile General Metaxas was bus
ily reorganising the r.tional defences
General Metaxas. Help
General Metaxas.
and reorganising the army.
A formidable s-heme of frontier for
lilications had been begun in 1930 and
was completed by December 1939. It
was named after the Dictator, "the
Metaxas Line."
Simultaneously General Metaxas sent
message of congratulation to the
troops on "the rebirth of the army"
and its readiness "to defend the in
tegrity and security o. the nation."
In foreign affairs General Metaxas
based his policy on close friendship
with Turkey, the stability of the Bal
kan Entente (Greece, Turkey, Rumania
and Yugoslavia, and improved rela
tions with Italy.
The Balkan Entente Conference in
February, 1940, prolongedthe pact be
tween the four countries for another
seven years from 1941 and proclaimed
their determination to preserve their
neutrality in the European war.
But General Metaxas lost no oppor
tunity of insisting on his own account
that Greece would keep what was hers
and vigorously maintain her indepen
dence.
In November, 1938, he declared that
"Greece neither asks nor wants any
thing of any power and will consider
the demanding of territory from her by
any other state as a hostile act."
This was the theme of repeated de
clarations by General Metaxas; and in
December, 1938, he issued a harsh
warning to persons spreading rumours
that he was considering any surrender
"to foreign demands affecting our na
tional security."
Popular with Greeks
General Metaxas' strong and able
rule rapidly made him the hero of the
Greek people. Every time he returned
from a visit abroad, and on every Aug
ust 4-the anniversary of the founding
of his dictatorship-he was received
with tremendous demonstrations of the
popular affection.
General Metaxas was a man of uns*
assuming manner. He had a strong
dislike for uniform. which he never
wore if he could help it. Hle insisted
that, though a dictator, he was a civil
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