A Greek American Cold Warrior: George E. Phillies and the Greek Civil War, 1946–1949

Abstract

Abstract: George E. Phillies, a prominent Greek American and chairman of the Justice for Greece Committee, was an ardent anticommunist who took an interest in themes of growing importance in American public debates of the late 1940s: the Greek Civil War (1946–1949) and US intervention in Greece as inaugurated by the Truman Doctrine (1947). Phillies's social status, hybrid identity, and networking with American and Greek elites were decisive for his emergence as an influential cold warrior at a crucial period for both US-Greek relations and US strategy in the Cold War. His public role was important in the legitimization of the Truman administration policy toward Greece. He used his ties to Greece to construct a supposedly factual account of the Greek Civil War that undermined alternative narratives and criticism of US actions. Phillies represents a case of ethnic anticommunism. His discourse highlights the hybrid, transatlantic dimension of Greek American identity in the mid-twentieth century and the interaction between ideological and ethnic conceptions of identity. His case is revealing for the role of anticommunism in the identity formation process and integration practices among migrants in post-World War II American society.