Greek-American Helias Doundoulakis worked as a spy during World War II and helped in the liberation of Crete. Credit: National Hellenic MuseumThe story of Helias Doundoulakis is like a great war movie: The story of the Greek spy who helped Greece and the United States win the war against the Nazis.
A true hero, the Greek American worked as a spy during World War II and helped in the liberation of Crete and the eventual victory of the United States against Germany’s Nazi regime.
Furthermore, the story of Helias Doundoulakis is also the fascinating story of America’s first national intelligence agency, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS).
Cretan Helias Doundoulakis and his big brother
Helias Doundoulakis was born in Canton, Ohio to Greek immigrants Demetrios Doundoulakis and Evanthia Psaroudakis on July 12, 1923.
At the age of two, his family emigrated to Crete to care for his blind grandmother in Archanes. On May 20, 1941, when the Nazis invaded Crete, Helias was still in high school.
