New Balkan Entente

With a resplendent Marshal Tito aboard, the Caleb sailed into the Greek harbor of Piraeus last week on a state visit. It was flanked by six Yugoslav and six Greek warships and heralded by a 21-gun salute and the zooming of Greek air-force planes overhead. Soon the one-time peasant agitator and soldier of Communist fortune was swapping chatty conversation with King Paul and Queen Frederika. Local Communists (Moscow variety) were clapped into jail for as long as Tito was in town.

On the second day, Tito sat down with Field Marshal Alexander Papagos, the Greek Premier. Within two hours they had agreed to the final details of a new Balkan entente, the first in 20 years. Without any nudging from the West, without any inducements of cash or arms, Greece, Yugoslavia and Turkey voluntarily allied themselves against Soviet imperialism. (If anything, Britain and the U.S. tried to stall the pending pact, lest it irritate Italy, which is still at odds with Tito over Trieste.) The agreement will mobilize a combined army of 800,000 tough fighters to repel any attack from or through the Communist countries of Bulgaria and Albania.* It will also set up a consultative assembly, representing the three Parliaments, to discuss mutual problems (Yugoslavia alone of the three does not belong to NATO).

The pact, which will be signed formally in Belgrade next month, joins together a republic, a monarchy and a Communist dictatorship. Little more than a century ago, the Turks were murdering their rebellious Slav subjects; 32 years ago, Greeks and Turks battled for Asia Minor; seven years ago, the Yugoslavs harbored and outfitted the Communist assault on Greece. Last week geography and common peril triumphed over ancient grudges.

*To offset this get-together, Red satellite Albania last week entertained Russia's Admiral Sergei Gorshkov, who guided his 12,000-ton cruiser Maximov and two destroyers through the Dardanelles and up the Adriatic, in full sight of Tito's ship.

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