“The Greek Connection is a marvelous book, a biography that illuminates an essential yet nearly forgotten figure who navigated some of the most important events of the 20th century. In Elias Demetracopoulos, author James Barron has vividly portrayed a real-life character as remarkable as any fictional Cold War hero. In our own era of political and journalistic skullduggery, this is a must-read.” —Mitchell Zuckoff, New York Times bestselling author of Fall and Rise and 13 Hours
“James Barron has done history a favor by telling the incomparable life of the amazing and indefatigable Elias Demetracopoulos, who spent his teenage years fighting against fascism in World War II and suffering, after the war, as America threw in against those inside Greece who had stood off the Nazis. Elias, having seen it all in his youth, became a real life Zelig as an investigative reporter, committed to the telling of truth and the making of trouble for Presidents from Jack Kennedy through the post-Nixon years. There is much new history in this book, especially about the beginnings of the Watergate scandal.” —Seymour M. Hersh
Elias Demetracopoulos (1928-2016) is among the most fascinating yet overlooked figures in 20th-century political history. As a precocious twelve-year-old in occupied Athens, he engaged in heroic resistance efforts against the Nazis, for which he was imprisoned and tortured.
After his life was miraculously spared, he became a journalist, covering American affairs in Greece. A clever and scoop-hungry reporter, Elias soon gained access to powerful figures in both governments . . . and attracted many enemies.
When the Greek military dictatorship took power in 1967, he narrowly escaped to Washington where he would lead the fight to restore democracy in his homeland — while running afoul of the American government, too. Now, after a decade of research and original reporting, James H. Barron uncovers the story of a man caught between the military junta in Greece and Cold War America—dangerous places about which Elias knew valuable secrets.
Throughout his life, Elias’s tireless pursuit of uncomfortable truths would put him at odds with the Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan administrations, making him a target of CIA, FBI, and State Department surveillance and harassment.
Elias Demetracopoulos (1928-2016) is among the most fascinating yet overlooked figures in 20th-century political history. As a precocious twelve-year-old in occupied Athens, he engaged in heroic resistance efforts against the Nazis, for which he was imprisoned and tortured.
After his life was miraculously spared, he became a journalist, covering American affairs in Greece. A clever and scoop-hungry reporter, Elias soon gained access to powerful figures in both governments . . . and attracted many enemies.
When the Greek military dictatorship took power in 1967, he narrowly escaped to Washington where he would lead the fight to restore democracy in his homeland — while running afoul of the American government, too. Now, after a decade of research and original reporting, James H. Barron uncovers the story of a man caught between the military junta in Greece and Cold War America—dangerous places about which Elias knew valuable secrets.
Throughout his life, Elias’s tireless pursuit of uncomfortable truths would put him at odds with the Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan administrations, making him a target of CIA, FBI, and State Department surveillance and harassment.
A stunning feat of biographic storytelling that reads like a real-life cold war thriller, The Greek Connection is about a lifetime of standing up for democracy and a free press against powerful special interests. It has much to teach us about our own era of journalist intimidation, dark money, and international intrigue.
 Meghan Moore, Megpix/Barron, James (C) Meghan Moore, Megpix.png)
