National Intelligence Service (Greece) - History

History

The agency was founded on 7 May 1953 (Law 2421/1953) under the name Central Intelligence Service (Greek: Κεντρική Υπηρεσία Πληροφοριών, ΚΥΠ), which it retained until 27 August 1986, when its name changed to National Intelligence Service, by ministerial decree 1645/86, issued on 28 August.

The agency was created by influential Greek-American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agents, the most famous being Thomas Karamessines, who later rose to become Deputy Director for Plans in the CIA. Its first, most influential and longest-serving Director was Alexandros Natsinas, a Lieutenant General of Artillery and veteran of World War II and the Greek Civil War. He headed the agency from its founding in May 1953 until December 1963. From the very beginning, KYP was controlled by the CIA; in the first eleven years of its history (1953–1964) its agents received their salaries from the Americans, not the Greek state, until Prime Minister Georgios Papandreou, enraged with this level of dependence, stopped this practice. During the Regime of the Colonels of 1967–1974, KYP actively supported the ruling Colonels in silencing dissent. After Andreas Papandreou came to power in 1981, he was determined to totally control the state apparatus, including the intelligence services, which historically had been staffed exclusively by people with right-wing political views. He appointed as head of KYP Lieutenant General Georgios Politis, a close friend of retired General, Panhellenic Socialist Movement Member of Parliament and Minister Antonis Drosogiannis; Politis organized a massive purge of right-wing personnel. Ιn 1986 KYP became a civilian agency, EYP, by ministerial decree 1645/86. In recent years, its Directors have been diplomats, while traditionally they were military officers.