WHY THE ARMY TOOK OVER MY COUNTRY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP69B00369R000200290032-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 7, 2001
• Sequence Number: 32
• Publication Date: July 1, 1967
• Content Type: MAGAZINE

0
Approved For Release M
Jw1Y
American pressures,
fanatic anti-Communism,
and an authoritarian
. nonarchy set the stag
for coup d'etat in Greece.
Then a .liberal premier
triggered the a'ction'
?
'
An
insider
s report on
6: CIA-RDP69B00369R000200290032-8
7
A WEEK BEFORE the army overturned democratic
government in my country, a friend wrote to tell
me the coup was coming. It was no secret; everyone
knew the army's position and no one knew better
than I how active the ence
A encyl had been behind the scenes in
l
po
itics.
By PHILIP DEANE
In 196., vregory Lambrakis, a member of the
i'irceic parliament - a gadfly, an exhibitionist," a
?roi;:isional protester and close to being Communist
was beaten to death by a goon squad in full
.v of police officers who did not intervene. A
-eme Court investigation established these fac
ts
cou >, but I watched them help create the conditions ai.d even implicated the Greek police, stunning in-
I p , formed world opinion.
that brought it about when I served as secretary The stern-looking civilian premier a of
general to the King of Greece and later as minister ;.recent junta, g p pp anted pi the
of culture,. appointed by Premier Ps~t,andreou. Constantine Kolias, was chief $fse-
The plotters were already talking about cutor of publicly Greek duties, talking the
in resisted, ublicl and insistently, against investigating
1964. Three before,, the Greek Army and prosecuting the police officers implicated in the
years had killing of Lambrakis.
rigged the 1961 parliamentary elections in an opera- Such episodes had given the army tion bearing the code name "Pericles." I have read tactics in Greece too much adverse publicity by olicethe
the plan of this operation; it was produced by Greektime elections were called again in 1963, and no
graduates of CIA political-warfare courses. -rigging was attempted. The victor was George
A very senior official, who would be thrown in Papandreou whose party, the Centre Union, is the
jail if I gave his name, described to me what he Greek equivalent of Canada's Liberals. He is a tall,
had seen: "... In my village, the army gave weapons theatrical man, nearly 80, who blossoms at the sight
to right-wing goons. Known opponents of the right of pretty women and Miks with an oratorical elegance
wing, not leftist mind you, just moderates, were called 'anmatched since Demosthenes. He 'also is pro-
in by the local army commander and told that if Western, in favor of free enterprise and, in 1944,
the right. wing did not win, they would be held she crushed the first Communist attempt to take over,
'
responsible and the army would not be able to Greece.
protect them. The goon squad was standing at the Papandreou believed that as prime minister it was ` .I
ready, to. illustrate against whom the protection he who should rule the country with the consent of
would be needed. In another village, the right wing parliament and that the king, like other modern
got more votes than there were voters and this was 'constitutional . monarchs, should be? a ceremonial
a place where the moderates usually won . . ." ? figurehead. But no king of Greece has accepted such ,.i
A small pleasant man who looks nicely rumpled constitutional restraints; like his forebears, the hand-
and talks as if he doesn't think you heard him, Soule and charrrting young King Constantine be,
Lieutenant General Dovas was responsible for this
rigging, as caretaker prime minister, and he was the
man I heard most praised by American officials.
Approved For Release 2001/11/01 : CIA-RDPOB00369R000200290032-8
 licvcd he, as king, should rule and of e
BO(196~JRAt+:200290037-8
Q
In conversations wit fir jqr[4f Vj( 01 MI
e o a mgut converted my brain-
take part in last April's coup, I heard their version washer, who later defected to the West
of what an elected prime minister's proper place and reported on my resistance under
should be: "We should have a system like the pressure. The late John Foster Dulles
Americans. The people will elect a congress which used to talk about the problem I had
will have the right to approve or disapprove the been for the Communists. Obviously,
budget. The cabinet will be appointed by the king the CIA man in Athens had heard
and will be responsible to him. The president, after none of this.,
all, appoints his cabinet in the United States . . to "Collaborated how?" 1 asked him.
The colonels thought that their version of the "You broadcast Communist propa-
American system, with a hereditary king instead of ganda."
an elected president, was an improvement because "Who says?"
no politician would reach supreme office,"... and ('One of our best Greek sources. He
you know what politicians are.' To convince says he has tapes."
Papandreou the politician that he shoul* n6t chal- "He can't have because I did not
lenge the king's supremacy, the army began threat- broadcast anything from Korea," I
ening a coup. "The army belongs to the king like said. "Besidc7,,,Washington has a list
the king says," a U.S. naval officer serving in Athens of all those&hp did broadcast for the
remarked approvingly. Communists in Korea. I'm not on the
The next step was to dub Papandreou and his son list."
Andreas "leftists" because they relaxed some of the Some dliys later, I met the CIA
draconian security procedures that existed in Greece, chief at a party and asked him if his
such as the need to produce a loyalty certificate be- "Greek source" had produced the
fore sitting for a university exam or to get employ- tapes. of my alleged broadcasts. The
ment, even as a charlady. The Papandreous also answer was no. Even so, a whole
refused to. let the police use clubs against peace year later, one Nikos Farmakis on a
marchers protesting the Vietnam war, for so long visit to the U.S. paid for by the U.S.
as they marched peaceably. . government was telling all who would
"The march must not be allowed to take place. listen that I had broadcast for the
It must be broken up," an American Embassy . Communists in Korea, claiming be
?fflcial told me, having tracked me down at a had tapes to prove it. But he never
restaurant, late, at night, /'continued on page 36 was able to produce these tapes. When
v
h
h
e
en t
oug
I had told no one where 1 the colonels seized power in Greece.
I would be. i last April, Nikos Farmakis emerged
"How do you propose they break as their spokesman.
up the march?"
"I don't care how they do it. Your To Washington: warnings
policemen know how to do these
things - hoses, clubs. How do you Farmakis's calumnies were no doubt
think photos of peaceniks in Athens designed to diminish my effectiveness
will look in the, Washington papers at ; .in Washington where I was working
a time when American aid to Greece ? for the government of George
is being debated?" Papandreou. Reports from American
Shortly thereafter I was appointed officials in Athens were pouring in,
minister of culture and left on a spe- alleging that Prime Minister Papan-
cial mission to Washington. My last dreoul was disrupting the army,
conversation was with a friend in Greece's bulwark against Communist
Greek Intelligence, who warned me agitation or worse. There also were
that his peopleinight compile a dossier ? reports of what would be done to
on me, "proving" I was a man of Papandreou in retaliation. Washington
zeal in serving Papandreou.
"You wouldn't let your staff do
this," I protested.
"I couldn't stop them. They get'
more money from the Americans than
I pay them."
I told myself that my record w
as
yarnu? a careful plan fora coup to
clean and that I had nothing to fear.
But then I remembered that the CIA overturn democracy if Papandreou
chief in Athens had asked me whether continued his disruption'.' of the
I had ever collaborated with the Com- : army.
monists in Korea. The Communists Proof of this disruption, the public
was told, was ASPIDA, which means
had made me prisoner one day when , shield, a "Communist" conspiracy
I was wounded at the front six times,.' within the officer corps. Papandreou's
reporting for the London Observer on son, Andreas, was supposed to be the
the initial retreat in the first month of. leader of this conspiracy. ASPIDA, in
the Korean war. fact, was no more than a band of
They tried to brainwash me, once-" officers who felt they had bee den' ~i
Approved For Release 2001/11101 -CIA=ROP69B803ti9R~00200290032-8
learned what was afoot and on two .
occasions in the spring of 1965 1 flew
to Athens to give the prime minister
details of what was being plotted
against him. I told him that Colonels
Papadopoulos and Pattakos (the
JUL?S7 . .
' `' CaaLivtted
 deservedA mooed W iRel%a, n2001/i4OtiflictCl,~ayrP69yOr0vn 000200cck 29 po32 $ life cannot have much
meat that had preceded Papandreou's F
0.
thanris to his parliamentary immunity. American as well as Greek.- what , er ess, since they operate under the
Naturally, this travesty of justice guaranteed that they could go on Many qnntant lif i4, of an army coup.
increased the popularity of the Papan- crusading forever, in their way, was andsta ou~~of t Greeks feel this way life. dreous, father and son. In parliament the right of the king to rule rather enter stay find themselves, Those who
they managed to manoeuvre so no than reign - rule by being able to than no finves, more often
,
palace-appo;nted government could call on the army which belongs to the pronmisess, rced into a compromises,
?e__1. promises. And to these compro
stand. Papandreou, after all. had won monarchy. not tr the.
court-martralcd for treason in a trial not prepared to have their careful ew even went so far as to
e
reminiscent of Fidel Castro's juridical plans disturbed by meddling, elected _lea try
me discreet di veritable bribery, by mansions s offering
e m
for r the
extravaganzas. The pluckier defend- politicians. What the cold warriors price of an efficiency apartment.
ants protested in court that they had wanted was a guarantee that they Conversely, one of the Greeks best
been made to sign untrue statements would be allowed to suppress Com- quplified for high office says he sees
under duress. No proof was adduced munism - forever, of course, since : no purpose in entering politics when
of any complicity by Papandreou's it threatens forever, in their view. Greek politicians are effectively pow-
son, who was not himself in the dock In Greece, for the cold warriors - 1
ulbnght, is a great leveler. The dignity when the prime minister and
These disgruntled officers formed a longer it goes on, the more undiscrim- his aides kt~6w that winning elections
sort of guild to plead for the redress inating people become in their choice is not enough and that to survive in
of their grievances, of weapons; the more they find it office they must curry favor with the
' Papandreou tried to block the coup necessary to set aside principle for the army, the U.S. Embassy and royal
that had been prepared against him sake of principle; the more, therefore, courtiers.
by personally assuming the Defense antagonists conic to resemble each When I was the king's secretary
portfolio. The king refused to allow other," general, prominent political this and forced Papandreou to resign.. Fighting the Communists side by sought poe the
The kings of Greece actually say the side, Greek loyalists and their Amer- kthey ey out, urgings to side. te me
army belongs to them. Constantine ica?n advisers were shaped by this king n were ec his S Some
protected his officers from the wrath fight. They came to distrust dissent would be more specific and name the portf of a prime minister Who did not like or debate. Ends, not means, mattered. Papandreou they hoped to get when
being threatened with army o ups. That this is an extremist philosophy, mention Papait u to the kin. e perhaps I could
Others still
So Papandreou was out, replaced Left or Right, was the sort of remark g'
by, a series of the sensing which way the wind was a
blow-
puppet governments Greco-American cold warriors did ing; simply talked to me at length
gth
apj ointcd by the palace. But how was not care n o hear. They were not in- about Papandreou's defects, hoping I
he to be kept out? . Army officers alleg- terested philosophies but in the hard would report their views to my royal
edly connected with ASPIDA were facts of war, they said, and they were master A f
i
r
ue,
years. ? Y+ y
of its unquestioning anti-Communism
This was a formative struggle, the and its dependence on U.S. military
first exercise in containment, and it aid, is always pro-NATO, pro-contain-
established patterns that can be de- meet. ; The U.S.. Embassy need not -
tected in all subsequent efforts to halt fear having to tell Washington of
Communism. Communism threatens any unpleasant surprises in Greece.
not only the body but also the soul And if only Greek politicians would"
of a nation. The main threat is sub- play along, they could be primp min- - -
version by men who feel no doubt isters with all the trappings of office.
about the. rightness of their Com- . A familiar saying is that power
s
freedom, is, in fact, a result of Com- makeup. This relationship was born of may a countres, i they are Informed,
munism. After World War II Corn- the cold war and has continued de- ? ill better agree than with me Russia that America wa i
munist guerrillas, helped by Stalin's . spite the thaw. It suits everyone con- s or China, which h
its faint praise and damning too, for
satellites, tried to %ke over Greece cerned, especially American officials the land of Jefferson and Lincoln. 7k
in a savage confliortc that lasted five in Greece because the arm b v'
t
p
s e ing American republics. The citizens of
countries are moving slowly toward right to protect the army's ideological the
?f
Y IranSouth Vietnam, Thailand, Pakistan,
That Greece could so move away of $80 million a year; the arm b
yenforce th k' , Turkey and a slew of Latin-
from
from freedom when even Communist threatening a cou
g
u
e
up o t e army, slue American aid: South Korea,
would win, the colonels struck. America finances the army to the tune'
ine coionels who cause them can point
a majority of the votes at the polls Thus, during their fight against - a
s justification for seizing power; the
and he h demanded that he either be Communism, the Greek armed forces, vicious circle is complete.
given premiership again or that, their local American advisers, and the The Greek case is not unique.
new elections be held. Elections were -monarchy developed an interlocking There are many others in less de-
eventually set for May 28, 1967; and relationship: the king protects the veloped countries which receive mas-
since it was apparent that Pa andreo
ideolo
ical mak
f h
demands, above all, loyalty, also free
of doubt. That is why we have seen
the rise of such aberrations as Mc-
Carthyism, or the John Birch Society
and their less vocal varieties which are
so widespread among military and
intelligence personnel.
`Philip Deane knows Greek affairs from inside. He was
horn in that country, son of a general who is the nation's
most decorated soldier. -Deane graduated front England's
Royal Naval College, served in the Royal Navy (where
+-'he himself collected 11 decorations). As a London Ob-
server correspondent from 1948 to 1961 his experiences
1
n
included being. taken prisoner In the Korean war.
1964 he returned to Greece and was appoinled ndn11trr
of culture and secretary general to King i onrtantf"r'? his wile
Approved For Release 2001/11/01: CIA-RDRj6i*l 1 1 0de fi. ;&VnP'r1.c-e r 179
of Denmark In that ye, Deane now liver In
where he serves as farce ?a//airs analys! /or the r4"'*,
' n ,t l,.Nrs'
". ! son newsna *-_ Cofurrurist J..r Ta Pretty /
JUL is?-
7