December 3, 1959
PAPANDREOU-KHRUSHCHEV: Public outrage at a statement by Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in Budapest in an attempt to justify the December 1944 uprising in Athens by communist outlaws was not shared by opposition leaders – with the exception of Georgios Papandreou, the leader of the Liberal Democrats. The others avoided making any statements yesterday pending delivery from the Greek Embassy in Budapest of the official text of Khrushchev’s statements. Papandreou, who was prime minister when Greece was liberated from Nazi occupation, made the following statement: «On December 3, 1944, the country said ‘No’ to Communism. The leader of Communist Pan-Slavism chose that day to praise the communist crimes of that December… and to falsify history. For the communist uprising was not put down by foreign capitalists but by the children of Greeks, inspired by their faith in Greece and in democracy. The Soviet leader’s statements are a heavy blow against domestic communists who, until now, had been exploiting people’s forgetfulness, and also against naive fellow-travelers who claim that international detente has already been achieved. But they are also a warning to the nation to maintain its vigilance.»
