Return & Fall of the Native

Though born a Greek, Andreas Papandreou grew up to become as American as Harvard Yard and the U.S.

Navy. He served time in both before and during World War II, stayed on to marry an Illinois girl and become chairman of the economics department at the University of California at Berkeley. But once a Greek, always a Greek. Drawn by nostalgia and political ambition, he went home three years ago and gave up his U.S. citizenship. Last February, he got himself elected to Parliament and promptly became the top aide to Greece's Premier--who happens to be his father, George Papandreou. Last week the prodigal son had reason to wonder just how Greek the Greeks would allow him to be.

On his return, Andreas ("my eagle," the Premier calls him) soon emerged as a real comer in Greek politics, able, ambitious and his father's son. Too much so, the opposition decided, and even his friends had occasion to agree. Like George, a savvy politician given to silvery doubletalk, Andreas played all sides of a question when it suited him. He accepted an invitation to attend a conference of nonaligned nations, then did not go. As the "Minister to the Premier"--his father's right-hand man--he moved in on other Cabinet members, virtually running the Greek economy. To prove his Greekness, he abruptly canceled Voice of America rebroadcasts, was quoted as making anti-NATO statements (which he later denied), and forced the transfer of the U.S. Information Agency chief from Athens.

At 44, Andreas was even talked about as a successor to his father, 76. Opposition conservatives and his father's own center supporters finally decided to give Andreas his comeuppance --and, indirectly, take a poke at the Premier too. George, wrote one newspaper, "must sacrifice his son." They planted stories alleging that Andreas had a "Trotskyite" past and at the same time accused him of being more American than Greek. Then they made the relatively minor but damaging charge that Andreas had let a $60,000 town-planning contract without competitive bids to a friend. While stoutly denying the accusation, Andreas Papandreou last week resigned "for the sake of the Government"--and much the wiser in ways of Greek politics.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.