“the journalist asked Zachariadis why he gave an anti-British speech to a crowd of 50,000 left-wing Greeks in Thessaloniki: “Is it because you want the British to leave Greece?” Zachariadis replied, “Yes,” and Springe commented: “Are you aware of the consequences?” To which the communist leader said: “I am aware that a civil war, to which we are aspiring, shall follow. It will be a question of two months. After that everything will be alright.”73”