Editorial Note
In his report of December 6, 1948, to the Congress on aid to Greece and Turkey for the three months ending September 30, 1948, President Truman noted that the opportunity to bring the guerrilla menace under control in 1948 had been lost. He concluded that “Although the Greek people have not yet succeeded in eliminating this guerrilla [Page 209] menace, they are as of September 30, 1948, much better prepared to carry their fight to a successful conclusion as a result of the United States military-aid program. So far as numbers of troops, supplies, and equipment are concerned, United States authorities are confident that the Greek Army, Navy, and Air Force possess the capability of restoring internal security in Greece in the face of a guerrilla movement of the present proportions.
“The Greek forces must now devote themselves to additional training and to development of leadership in all echelons in order fully to exploit this capability in future offensive operations.” (Department of State, Fifth Report to Congress on Assistance to Greece and Turkey, pages 1, 2. The Report was released in January 1949 as publication 3371.)