Greece The immediate effect of Italy's occupation of Albania has
been to demonstrate that for the Balkan States only two choices are possible ; and those two choices will not be open for long. Either they must form a collective front against aggression, backed by Great Britain, or they must fall piecemeal into the hands of the Axis Powers. The country most immediately threatened is Greece. Albania is for Italy a point of departure from which she can drive across Mace- donia to Salonika, and isolate Greece from her Balkan allies, while at the same time she threatens her coast line from the now reinforced Dodecanese. It can give little confidence to Greece, in the light of her neighbour's fate, to be assured by Signor Mussolini that he has no designs on her, and it is not yet known what form of guarantee she has sought or been granted by this country ; certainly an attack on her would be regarded as a hostile act by us. She is no doubt assured of the support of Turkey, with whom Great Britain's relations are so close as to amount to an alliance. But General Metaxas' latest message to Signor Mussolini suggests that, like Albania, Greece also may be tempted to secure by the dangerous friendship of Italy the safety which can otherwise only be won by genuine collaboration with the Balkan allies and with Great Britain in forming a pact of mutual assistance against aggression from any quarter.
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