Elias P. Demetracopoulos, Greek journalist and activist, Died at 88

  Activist, Writers

Elias P. Demetracopoulos was born on December 1, 1928, and died on February 17, 2016.

He was a Greek journalist and activist.

He contributed during the Greek military junta of 1967–1974 (“Regime of the Colonels”).

During the fascism, Elias lived in exile in Washington, D.C..

Because he lobbied against the Greek junta.

The Greek government revoked his citizenship, in June 1970.

In 1968, Elias P. Demetracopoulos reveal illegal campaign donations of $549,000 given by the Greek military dictatorship to the Richard Nixon/Spiro Agnew 1968 presidential campaign.

Elias had given the information to Larry O’Brian, then chairman of the Democratic National Committee, who issued a call for an inquiry into the activities of Thomas Pappas.

Within suits against the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Elias Demetracopoulos found out that he had been under extensive surveillance by those agencies from November 9, 1967, to October 2, 1969, August 25, 1971, to March 14, 1973, and February 19 to October 24, 1974.

Following the year 1974, Elias gained access to secret police files in Athens out of which he learned that there had been several attempts by the Greek junta to kidnap and kill him.

Mr. Demetracopoulos engaged attorney William A. Dobrovir to investigate the involvement of the United States, in 1967.

However, Dobrovir uncovered hundreds of documents from the FBI, CIA, Department of State, Department of Justice, and Department of Defense via the Freedom of Information Act.

A few of the documents indicated that copies were sent to the National Security Council headed by Henry Kissinger at the time.

Just before March 1977 that the NSC agreed to release skeletal computer indices of these documents.

Computer records which Elias found a reference to a document referring to his death in a prison in Athens on 18 December 1970.

For seven year Mr. Dobrovir wrote letters to Kissinger asking for copies of the document.

Eventually, Kissinger replied that he could not find such a copy.

Elias Demetracopoulos was a personal friend of Louise Gore and Senators Frank E. Moss, Quentin N. Burdick and Mike Gravel.

Elias P. Demetracopoulos passed away at 88 yrs old.