Konstantinos Maniadakis
Κωνσταντίνος Μανιαδάκης
Architect of the dictatorship's security apparatus
In 1940, the police deployed a counterfeit KKE leadership and forged Rizospastis to confuse the party's members.
A former Greek Army officer, Konstantinos Maniadakis was a central official of Ioannis Metaxas's 4th of August dictatorship, organizing its security state and anti-communist repression. He combined the Asfaleia's intelligence network with torture and island exile to break the KKE's public activity and disable much of its leadership. In 1940, the police created a counterfeit KKE leadership and forged edition of Rizospastis to confuse party members. After liberation, he converted anti-communism into political capital and served as a parliamentarian, while his responsibility under the dictatorship went largely unaccounted for.
Career timeline
- 1916Graduated from the Military Academy as an engineering second lieutenant
- 1919–1922Served in the Asia Minor campaign
- 1923Discharged after participating in the Leonardopoulos–Gargalidis coup attempt
- 1929Resigned from the army as a lieutenant colonel
- 1936–1941Deputy Minister of Public Security under Metaxas, organizing the security system
- 1941Deputy Minister of Public Security and Minister of the Interior under Koryzis and Tsouderos
- 1941–1949Supervisor of Greek diplomatic missions in Argentina and Latin America
- 1950–1964Right-wing member of parliament