FAQ (Frequently asked Questions)
1. What became of Major John Vassos?
John Vassos opened an extremely successful art gallery in New York City on Fifth Avenue. My brother George went and visited him once or twice. He was a great man, and when he was our CO, we didn't know anything about his illustrious past; studying at the Fenway Art School of Boston under John Singer Sargent. For those interested, click on the link.... http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/vassos.htm
2. Whatever happenned to the pen-gun, the Q pill, and all the weapons issued to you by the OSS?
When The American Colonel came to meet me in Salonica he asked to see our "hiding place". The .32 and .45 cal. pistols, the grenades and the "pen-gun" were to be surrendered to OSS personnel at a hotel the OSS had rented near Salonica's waterfront.
The two Q-Pills I had on me, one in my trousers and the other in the lapel of my jacket, were still hidden on me up until I went to Athens where I thought I did not need them anymore, finally flushing them down the toilet. When they were issued to me at the OSS office in Smyrna, Turkey I always thought they were giving me good luck, holding one many times in my hand and hiding it between my fingertips and palm. I always thought they looked so harmless. That's probably what the Germans thought about me.
3. And what became of your Greek liaison, Cosmas Yapitzoglou?
He continued serving in the Greek Navy and became a highly decorated major in Greece's Naval Intelligence. After the war he married a beautiful woman named Loula.They lived in Athens and had two boys, Pandelis and John, who would become very good friends with our sons Stephen and James to this day.
4. Did Nicos Oreopoulos ever find true happiness?
Nicos Oreopoulos, a very brave and helpful associate, went back to his import - export business after the war.But the first thing he wanted to do, was to reclaim his love "Soultanitsa", the girl whom he secretly longed for. He wrote to me me for some time until I heard from Yiapitzoglou that he had died. I'll never forget what he told me, "Ahh, for you Helias, the war should never end!".
5. Your friendship with Patrick Leigh Fermor is amazing. What does he do today?
"Paddy" Leigh Fermor spends his time between England and Kardamylli, Greece, where he is an honorary citizen of Greece. I invited him to come to New York for the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Crete by the PanCretan Society, and showed him around New York City. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Leigh_Fermor
6. What ever happenned to Spyros?
I never heard if he survived. The colonel who went to Edessa was not sure if the Spyros I knew was the same Spyros.
7. And Captain James Kelly, or James Kellis?
James Kelly, or James Kellis would later on be decorated for his service, attaining the rank of colonel, and was one of the officers who signed the surrender agreement between the United States and Japan.
8. How did you meet and become friends with William J. Casey? Casey's name is also on your patent for the radio telescope.
My brother George first met Bill Casey in the late 50's, when George was Director of Research at General Bronze Corporation in Garden City, Long Island. Casey became interested in George's ideas, including his narrow-band television. When Casey found out we were all ex-OSS soldiers, we became good friends, and eventually, business partners. We formed a company named Advancement Devices, with Casey, myself, and George. Casey would also be an assignee on the patent of the radio telescope designed by George and me. In the early 70's, George patented a high-efficiency engine on a tri-rotor principle, of which Casey was a major investor. click on the links... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arecibo_Observatory, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Casey. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helias_Doundoulakis
9. Is there a script for a movie currently being written?
Yes, by Anna Giannotis, a screenwriter living in Los Angeles.
10. How did you meet the famous Greek singer Sophia Vembo?
After our escape to Egypt I was staying at the SOE Headquarters in Alexandria, and I met a Greek pilot who had also escaped. One day we were listening to Vembo's music, which was always playing on the radio, and he asked if I would like to meet the singer who lived not too far from British HQ. I couldn't believe what he told me, so we jumped into a taxi, and there we found Vembo and her sister, outside, sitting under a tree crocheting. She hugged us both, and asked me about Greece and my escape. Then she sang a patriotic song for me to lift my spirits and we all cried. She told us not to give up hope, that one day the war would end, and Greece and the rest of Europe will be free. For this reason, two of the music pieces on the GALLERY are dedicated to Sophia Vembo, like those she sang for me in Alexandria. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofia_Vembo.