Vigilante?
Sir : I am extremely flattered that Mr Leslie Finer has once again taken the trouble to read an article of mine about Greece (16 October), and comment on it in print (30 October). Mr Finer gives the impression of having set himself up as a one-man vigilante committee on my Greek writings, as he has written letters to the editor following my last three articles. But as Mr Finer is employed by the Greek publisher who was the star prosecution witness in a libel case against me, I am inclined to believe his reactions are motivated by reasons other than an obsession with Theodoracopulos's thoughts on the birthplace of democracy, or a journalist's desire to set the record straight.
My 'irrational phobias' about the Papandreou and Communist dangers—which Mr Finer takes pains to debunk—were confirmed by none other than Premier Karamanlis two days after my article appeared. In a major speech, Karamanlis accused the left of 'fomenting suspicion among the people by spreading inaccurate and sycophantic stories against America and the West'. He also said that 'Papandreou's tactics are isolating and hurting the nation, border on treason, and are totally unacceptable in a democratic society'. (Shades of 1961-1967, and what followed, Mr Finer?) Where the nationalisation issue is con cerned, Mr Finer disputes my view that the government is appeasing the left by nationalising concerns that belong to shipowners and are an easy prey for takeover. But Estia, one of the oldest and certainly the most respected Greek daily, has also accused the government of doing just that. Estia pointed out in a leader on 3 November that concerns belonging to large American and European firms which signed contracts during the junta period that were not exactly favourable to the Greek economy, have been left alone. Those who were singled out are individuals who signed their agreements before the colonels' takeover.
Finally, Mr Finer objects to my attacks on the Greek press. He says the Greek press can only be accused of some 'imbalances' while pointing a finger at my `journalistic irresponsibility.' His statement on imbalance reminds me of a German acquaintance who admitted under pressure that Hitler did have certain biases against the Jews. A recent example of the 'imbalances' of the Greek press was the case of a fifteen-year-old American girl who ran away from home with some Greek friends who later passed her on to others who not only kept her captive and abused her, but also violated her repeatedly. Although the Greek law prohibits such stories to be printed and names of minors to be mentioned, the Greek newspapers for days used stories full of lurid details and even managed to instil an anti-American angle. Naturally, the poor girl and her family (her father was teaching in Greece) had to leave the country. It may be that Mr Finer's' view of Greece is distorted by the 5,000-mile barrier between him and the Greek newsbeat.
Taki Theodoracopulos 10 Dimaki Street, Athens, Greece
Previous page
