16 AUGUST 1968, Page 25

It's all Greek to me

Sir: The sentimentally patriotic note in Mrs Vlachos's letter (9 August) rings as false as do Harold Wilson's evocations of the Dunkirk spirit.

Elements of the Royal Hellenic forces mutinied in North Africa towards the end of the war. By so doing those mutineers were directly aiding the enemy. They are one political parent of the present Greek govern- ment's most ferocious enemies, when they are not actually the same men. The other parent, of course, is the communists of ELAS who actually fought against the British and killed British soldiers, and would undoubtedly do so

again. Those men, often the very same men, are the hard core that the present Greek gov- ernment is determined to exclude from political life in Greece. It is for them that our 'liberals' weep.

On the other hand, the young soldiers who put down the mutinies, and who fought with the British on the mainland, have with the passage of time reached the rank of colonel. Last year they took over the government of their country precisely to prevent any recur- rence of these evil and tragic events. To the relief of their countrymen, they have suc- ceeded without any loss of life whatsoever. If we wish to cast our eyes back a quarter of a century to find out who are our friends today, then these are the men.

Constantine Fit:Gibbon St Ann's, Killiney Hill Road, Co Dublin