Greek Military Junta 1967-1974
Pattakos is still alive…
Young autograph collectors can not remember for the Colonels’ group in Greece. I was a grammer-school student that time and read the news with great interest in the Hungarian papers.
A military dictatorship established in Greece by Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos, Colonel Makarezos and Brigadier-General Stylianos Pattakos. On 21 April 1967 tanks commanded by Pattakos moved into Athens, and surrounded both Parliament and Royal Palace. The Colonels claimed they were forestalling a communist coup. They had no political programme, apart from a violent hatred of communism. Thousands of the regime's political opponents, were thrown into prison or were exiled . Amnesty International issued a report detailing numerous instances of torture under the regime. Martial law was proclaimed, parliament suspended, political parties and trade unions banned, censorship imposed and military officers were put in charge of the state bureaucracy.
At the same time, however, the economy, was greatly improved.
The three leaders visited King Constantine in his residence which they circled with tanks. After a long conversation the King finally relented and decided to co-operate, claiming to this day that he was isolated and did not know what else to do. The relationship between Constantine and the Colonels was an uneasy one. The colonels were not willing to share power with anyone and the King finally decided to launch his counter-coup on 13 December 1967. But the King's plans were overly bureaucratic also naďve, and the counter-coup had failed. Next day on 14 December Constantine and his family fled Greece. 
Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos became the Prime Minister, later President of Greece until 25 November 1973.
 Colonel / later General / Dimitrios Ioannidis took active part in the coup d'etat of April 21, 1967 but preferred to stay in the background during the first six years. He became chief of the Greek Military Police (ESA) which he developed into a feared force for military and civilians alike.On 25 November 1973, Ioannidis organised a coup d'état, overthrew Papadopoulos and installed his friend Phaedon Gizikis, as President of Greece. On 15 July 1974 he organized a coup d'état in Cyprus which overthrew the government of Archbishop Makarios . 
Brigadier-General Stylianos Pattakos was awarded with the Ministry of the Interior. As head of that post, Pattakos stripped Greek actress and political activist, Melina Mercouri, of Greek citizenship. Mercouri retorted "I was born a Greek and I will die a Greek. Mr. Pattakos was born a fascist and he will die a fascist!" However Melina Mercouri has passed away many years ago while Pattakos is still alive…. In January 1975 the junta members were formally arrested. Papadopoulos, Pattakos, Makarezos and Ioannidis were sentenced to death .These sentences were later commuted to life imprisonment by the Karamanlis government.
Papadopoulos died in a prison-hospital in 1999. Makarezos died in 2009. Pattakos was released from jail in September 1990. He lives in Athens, he is 98.
Ioannidis is still serving his life imprisonment . He is 87. As a young student in 1966 I have written a letter to King Constantine asking for his signed photograph. He had a very kind „Marshal of The Court „ who has helped me in this matter. Finally I have received a nice photo with the King’s blue ink signature. Pity he has signed on a dark part of the photo. Years later, already from London, Constantine has sent me a second signed photograph. 
In 1968 I have received Papadopoulos autograph. Melina Mercouri has sent me her signed photo around in 1970 from exile. 
Ioannidis sent me his greeting from prison in 2007. First time I contacted Pattakos in 2007. This year in February Pattakos has answered me again . 
Dr. Zoltán Márián
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