Message to King Paul of Greece on the Occasion of the 127th Anniversary of Greek Independence.

[ Released April 2, 1948. Dated March 25, 1948 ]

ON BEHALF of the American people I wish to extend cordial congratulations to Your Majesty and to the Greek people on this anniversary of Greek independence.

Today Greece is struggling not to win her independence but to retain it. It is a painful fact that in many countries the profound hopes for a world free from fear of aggression are being extinguished by the forces of international totalitarianism which are seeking through internal and external pressures and through acts of violence and terror, to extend their rule at the expense of human dignity and freedom.

We are learning once again that freedom and liberty can be preserved in the face of totalitarian aggression only when democratic peoples show indomitable courage and determination in defending their independence. The struggle is not yet won, but if those who love liberty work together, we shall not fail. The valor of Greece, even when faced by the spectacle of other nations succumbing to direct or indirect aggression, convinces me that the Greek people are equal to the task.

HARRY S. TRUMAN

[His Majesty Paul I, King of the Hellenes, Athens, Greece]