On March 30, 1952 four men were executed in Athens, Greece. They were accused of being communists and committing acts of espionage and treason. Three years later, the daughters of one of these men were put on a plane and sent to America. They were adopted by a wealthy Greek American couple in Massachusetts. Their adoption was one of the first of a long line of adoptions between Greece and the U.S. that has been kept a secret for years. It is a story that takes us back to the Cold War years and to a relationship of dominance and submission between the U.S. and Greece. But it’s also a personal story, about facing one’s past — decades after being forced to forget. Can a broken family come together again?
Joan and Kathryn were adopted from Greece in 1955 under strange circumstances.
Years later, Joan’s son David discovers an unbelievable secret. His grandfather was a high profile communist who was executed by the Greek state. And there is also another sister, who still lives in Greece. Her name is Effie and she has been looking for Joan and Kathryn her whole life since the three of them were forcefully separated by the police.
Joan and Kathryn were part of an international adoption scandal that sent thousands of Greek babies to America during the Cold War years.
Join journalist Katerina Bakogianni as she tries to unravel what exactly happened.
In the process she will speak to family members in Greece and the U.S., childhood friends, professors of history and a former CIA agent. She will also take a long look at the complex relationship of dominance and submission between Greece and America.
Cover design by MADHOT.
Born Greek - Made American is a co-production of Melon Media and iMEdD.
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