As most readers will know, 28^th October is Oxi Day in Greece, the anniversary of the rejection by the Greek dictator Ioannis Metaxas of an ultimatum from the Italian leader Benito Mussolini. According to Wikipedia, the ultimatum was presented to Metaxas by the Italian ambassador to Greece Emanuele Grazzi, who had just come from a party in the Italian embassy in Athens, shortly after 3.00 am on 28 October 1940. It demanded that Greece allow Axis forces to enter Greek territory and occupy certain unspecified “strategic locations” or otherwise face war. Although Metaxas was afterwards alleged to have replied with the single word “Oxi” – “No”, what he in fact said was “Alors, c’est la guerre!”