ABSTRACT
At least according to his Diary, Ioannis Metaxas was rather philosophical and introspective by the end of February 1939. In an entry in his ‘Notebook of Thoughts’ he considers the fate of man, and believes that no one can know that fate. Therefore life is not only action, but reaction too. The only permanent reality is that of activity and creativity. The only thing that can stop these is the loss of consciousness either from illness or with death. One must transcend the sentimental complaints and lamentations of the poets and artists if one is to prevail in one’s confrontation with reality [Diary, III, p. 357]. By 1 March, he was recording intensive work over state security to combat the activities of General Plastiras and the Venizelist Pepe (Pericles) Argyropoulos to recruit the support of foreign powers against him and his regime. 1 He also refers to the breakfast meeting with the outgoing Italian ambassador and rues that he had not been more forthcoming. The new Italian Ambassador was E. Grazzi. He also records meeting with Lord Lloyd, British Council Representative, and intensive work on security, when he is reassured by Governor General Sfakianakis that all rumours out of Crete are unfounded. The fact remains that Metaxas was at that time possessed by fear of being overthrown especially as he suspected the British of supporting his opponents. In his Diary [III, p.359], Metaxas describes the week of 13–19 March as ‘Passion Week’, when there was a public British announcement about Greece’s debts as a prelude to demanding the overthrow of the Metaxas regime. Metaxas suspected the role of the banker E. Tsouderos. 2 But he believed the King steady in his support of him. Greece however was in no position to repay the debt. He dispatched an old trusted friend from Cephalonia, Lorandos, to London to look into and report on the question of the debt. Meanwhile, Metaxas worried over the new understanding between Romania and Germany, and feared that Mussolini would initiate an anti-Greece campaign. Generally, events in Munich and elsewhere had their echo in Metaxas’s anxieties about the domestic security of his regime and the foreign threats to his country, so that the entry in his Diary for 18 March simply records, ‘My terrible decision in the event of an Italian threat.’ The month of April began with the visit of Dr Goebbels, followed by increased Italian activity in Albania, preparation of the state budget, control of the odd pro-Nazi member of the Metaxas regime, viz., C. Kotzias, Mayor of Athens. The Italians had landed troops in Albania; Metaxas became distracted with worry, especially when the King called him to hand him a note by Sophoulis of the Liberal Party, demanding a national coalition, or an All-Party government. Displaying an extremely alert presence of mind, Metaxas replied by telling the King that if he wished to try implementing this proposal he could dismiss him from office and invite Sophoulis to form a government. The King exclaimed, ‘I haven’t gone mad!’ ‘In that case’, retorted Metaxas, ‘I will make no changes for there are no political parties; the ones that exist are moribund. And I recommended to the King to advise Angellopoulo, Chief of his political office, to stop encouraging the parties.’ With that Ioannis Metaxas returned to his Ministerial office and called in his military chiefs of staff to consider and plan resistance strategy against the Italians. 3
