The book sheds light on some of the most talked-about questions of contemporary Greek history: the overthrow of dictator Papadopoulos by Ioannidis, the role of significant figures of the time, such as Aristotle Onassis, the discovery of oil in the Aegean, how tensions between Greece and Turkey began in 1974, with unknown behind-the-scenes details, whether and who provided assurances to Ioannidis before the fateful coup against Makarios and the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. It also explores how Americans viewed Konstantinos Karamanlis and Andreas Papandreou, as well as what their predictions were for the role they would play in the future history of the country.

You will "hear" - for the first time - the voices of Dimitrios Ioannidis and Chief of Armed Forces General Grigorios Bonanos at the War Council of July 20, 1974. These were moments of chaos and despair. It is a shocking portrayal of the incompetence of those managing the fate of the nation at that moment. The 38 minutes of this War Council constitute a valuable document for understanding the events.

All these years, I have been filled with melancholy at times when I realized that History repeats itself. The issues were the same: the Cyprus issue, the oil in the Aegean, the extension of Greek territorial waters to 12 miles, the competition between Americans and French, and the arms race. Behaviors also do not change: the eternal Greek establishment with its unparalleled flexibility and opportunism, with only the names occasionally changing. The public "bravado" of those holding the fate of the country in their hands contrasts with the behind-the-scenes servility towards the American factor. Or, even worse, the reverse: the continuous behind-the-scenes threats that were never realized and seemed like bluffs or empty fireworks, with few exceptions. I hope that readers of the book will understand much better the same issues that occupy current events in 2021, most of which were born during the period of 1973-74.