Biography and career Gust Avrakotos

avrakotos born in aliquippa, pennsylvania, son of greek american soft drink manufacturer, island of lemnos. briefly worked @ jones , laughlin steel mill in aliquippa before graduating valedictorian aliquippa high school in 1955. attended college @ carnegie institute of technology, left after 2 years due strain on family finances. found work @ local steel mill. sell beer , cigarettes bars frequented immigrants eastern , central europe. returned college @ university of pittsburgh, graduated summa cum laude degree in economics.

he joined cia in 1962 and, because of fluency in greek, assigned take part in anti-communist mission in greece. assigned duty in cia s langley, virginia, headquarters.

avrakotos number 4 in hierarchy of cia station in athens in 1974 (stacy hulse chief , ron estes deputy). ron estes , avrakotos met greece s dictator @ time, brigadier dimitrios ioannidis, formally chief of military police, warn him against escalation of tension archbishop makarios because of danger of turkish reaction. these documented meetings happened on 7 , 20 june 1974. nevertheless, archbishop makarios, president of cyprus, decided end greek junta s constant interventionism against young republic, directly , publicly confronting dictator ioannidis. seemed determined expel greek military personnel cyprus. ioannidis proceeded spectacular coup d etat against archbishop/president makarios, bombarding presidential residence in nicosia, in order physically terminate him. ioannidis died in 2010 , avrakotos in 2005, none of them revealing interaction in 1974. neither did other greek-american cia agent peter koromilas, died in 2007 (h tragiki anametrisi kai prodosia tis kyprou (the tragic duel , betrayal of cyprus)-marios adamides-2012).

according book charlie wilson s war, unofficially advised associates in junta assassinate andreas papandreou.

in 1980s while @ langley, avrakotos led operation cyclone, largest covert operation in cia s history. through intermediaries, zia ul-haq s isi in pakistan, cia armed afghanistan s mujahideen during soviet war in afghanistan. avrakotos met congressman charlie wilson of texas s 2nd congressional district. collaborated massively increase funding rebels, , helped persuade officials egypt, pakistan, china, israel, saudi arabia, , elsewhere increase support cause. avrakotos plucked michael g. vickers obscurity in cia s paramilitary group revamp strategy mujahideen. vickers urged them drop enfield rifle in favor of mix of weapons ak-47, , introduce new tactics, training, , logistics.

avrakotos position in agency meant responsible iran. in 1985 witnessed group within government, including oliver north, bud mcfarlane, members of national security council, , others attempting run iran arms-for-hostages trade using cia. told superior clair george iran contra trade disaster in making, did not trust manucher ghorbanifar or israelis pushing scheme, , viewed people north lunatic fringe had earlier tried bring bizarre ideas afghan war. avrakotos warned george scheme illegal , wrote notable memo distributed within cia effect. according author george crile, bureaucracy punished avrakotos dissent , banished him do-nothing job little responsibility, greatest success, afghan program, showing results. avrakotos reassigned stinger antiaircraft missile launchers downed first soviet gunships , after brief role in african assignment, retired cia in 1989. gust s predictions iran-contra accurate, iran-contra affair resulted in numerous prosecutions of government officials , years of congressional hearings , controversy.

avrakotos worked trw in rome , news corp., began business intelligence newsletter, working in rome , mclean, virginia. returned cia contractor 1997 until 2003.

avrakotos died of stroke in 2005.