Some fear is necessary these days to keep the people from doing silly things.
This is good for the people. When they are afraid, they behave themselves.
— Brig. Gen. Stylianos Pattakos Minister of the Interior The Greeks are behaving themselves all right, but what Greek can be happy if he never does silly things? After its first 100 days in power, the junta that took over Greece in a lightning coup has restored order to a country that was torn by political strife. It has done so at the expense of much of Greece's exuberant, explosive spirit. The image of a surtaki-dancing, owzo-glass-smashing people is being replaced by that of a docile folk whose chief concern seems to be getting to church on time and keeping the young girls out of miniskirts. Not since Calvin put the fear of God into Geneva has any regime so devoted itself to reforming the moral character of its citizenry.
Down with Who's Who. Special military courts-martial have been set up all over the country to punish Greeks who offend against king, church or junta. In Athens a worker was sentenced to one year in prison for "behaving like a Teddy boy," a tradesman to six months for "disobedience to authorities." Mikis Theodorakis, the noted leftist musician who composed the score for the film Zorba the Greek, last week was sentenced in absentia to 5¢ months in prison for offending the honor of the royal family. An estimated 150 to 200 Greeks are already behind bars on such charges, and more are arrested each week.
The junta also seeks to reform Greece by issuing an almost endless list of dos and don'ts. A few outlandish decrees, such as the ban on beards, were prudently withdrawn, but others have stuck. The junta has blacklisted the works of nearly 300 Greek and scores of foreign authors, some Red, but others simply liberal, such as Senator J. William Fulbright. They have stripped Actress Melina Mercouri and some 400 other Greeks abroad of their citizenship, because they have "lost their Greek soul and conscience." They have banned Who's Who in Greece; it devotes too many pages to former Greek politicians.
Summer is "the Season" in Greece, but this year it is dull. Tourism, Greece's main source of foreign exchange, is off by 50%. A decree forbidding five or more persons to assemble without prior police permission has all but killed Athens' social life. Many of the artists and troupes that were scheduled to perform at Greek festivals—including the Kiev Ballet and the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra—have stayed away. Some of Athens' theater audiences are peppered with relatives of army officers who get free tickets to keep the attendance up. Even so, the censors are vigilant. In a play in Athens, an actor drew unexpected applause when he recited, "I shall complain to my Deputy in Parliament." Censors snipped out the line before the next performance. In another play, a woman whose husband had left her joyfully cried: "Now I am free!" The audience cheered. The line was quickly changed to "Now I am carefree."