The War On News

A record of government actions against journalism and fact-based reporting, from the first press laws to today

Incident

Greece: collaborationist government creates a Directorate-General for Press and Radio to review films and publications before release

GreeceRSF rank: not recorded

Engraving of an empty press briefing room with a lectern and rows of chairs

The collaborationist government installed in occupied Greece created a Directorate-General for Press and Radio to take over and expand the prior review powers of the prewar Metaxas dictatorship, requiring official permission before films, plays, music, and publications could reach the public. German Embassy officials reviewed the same material and could overrule the Greek reviewers.12345

What happened

Germany and Italy, joined by Bulgarian and Hungarian units, occupied Greece beginning April 6, 1941, and divided the country into occupation zones. The Germans installed a collaborationist government, and on May 8, 1941, a legal decree issued by the Tsolakoglou government transferred the prior-review powers of the prewar Under-Secretariat for Press and Tourism to a new Directorate-General for Press and Radio, set up as an office under the government's president. In 1942 and 1943, Legal Decree 1108 and Law 485 put review of films, theater, music, and publications on a more systematic legal footing. Film distribution companies had to apply to the Directorate-General's People's Enlightenment Directorate for a license to screen any picture, attaching a plot summary and script. German Embassy officials attended pre-screenings and could reject a film outright; surviving licensing files carry handwritten notes recording that a film had been prohibited or that its license had been granted by the German Embassy.1236457

What reason was given

Stated justification

The decree establishing the Directorate-General stated that it was meant to enlighten public opinion on Greek affairs and to elevate the national and religious spirit of the Greek people.6

What changed for reporting

Licensing files show that the Greek censors' decisions were routinely subject to a separate German Embassy review, with applications marked as prohibited or approved by the German Embassy.7

Timeline

1941

8 May 1941
Greece: collaborationist government creates a Directorate-General for Press and Radio to review films and publications before release

Who acted

NameRole in this incidentOffice at the time
Georgios TsolakoglouimplementedPresident of the collaborationist government of occupied Greece

Sources

  1. “Rejected by the German Embassy”: The Directorate-General for Press and Radio under the Greek collaborationist governments and film censorship during the Occupation of Greece by the Axis powers (1941-1944)Filmicon: Journal of Greek Film Studies, 2013-10-02, reporting. Source record
  2. GreeceUnited States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Holocaust Encyclopedia, reporting. Source record

Claims and evidence

Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.

  1. Germany and Italy, with Bulgarian and Hungarian support, invaded and occupied Greece beginning April 6, 1941.On April 6, 1941, the Germans and Italians, supported by Bulgarian and Hungarian units, attackedGreece, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Holocaust Encyclopedia.Claim 877, checked 2026-09-26.
  2. Germany, Italy, and Bulgaria occupied Greece and divided the country into separate occupation zones in 1941.Germany, Italy, and Bulgaria occupied parts of Greece and divided the country into zones in 1941Greece, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Holocaust Encyclopedia.Claim 878, checked 2026-09-26.
  3. A legal decree issued by the Tsolakoglou government on May 8, 1941, transferred press review authority to a new Directorate-General for Press and Radio under the government's president.By virtue of a Legal Decree issued by the Tsolakoglou Government on 8 May 1941, the authority of the Under-Secretariat was transferred to the Directorate-General for Press and Radio that was set up as an Office under the President of the Greek collaborationist government.“Rejected by the German Embassy”: The Directorate-General for Press and Radio under the Greek collaborationist governments and film censorship during the Occupation of Greece by the Axis powers (1941-1944), Filmicon: Journal of Greek Film Studies, 2013-10-02.Claim 879, checked 2026-09-26.
  4. Legal Decree 1108 of 1942 and Law 485 of 1943 put prior review of films, theater, music, and publications on a more systematic legal footing.the government updated the legal framework governing state-run preventive censorship in films, theatre, music and publications by virtue of Legal Decree 1108 of 1942 and Law 485 of 1943.“Rejected by the German Embassy”: The Directorate-General for Press and Radio under the Greek collaborationist governments and film censorship during the Occupation of Greece by the Axis powers (1941-1944), Filmicon: Journal of Greek Film Studies, 2013-10-02.Claim 881, checked 2026-09-26.
  5. Film distribution companies had to apply to the Directorate-General's People's Enlightenment Directorate for permission to screen a film, attaching a plot summary and script.film distribution companies had to file an application to the People's Enlightenment Directorate of the Directorate-General for Press and Radio, asking permission to screen a film and attaching the plot summary and script copies.“Rejected by the German Embassy”: The Directorate-General for Press and Radio under the Greek collaborationist governments and film censorship during the Occupation of Greece by the Axis powers (1941-1944), Filmicon: Journal of Greek Film Studies, 2013-10-02.Claim 882, checked 2026-09-26.
  6. The decree stated that the Directorate-General aimed to enlighten public opinion on Greek affairs and elevate the national and religious spirit of the Greek people.the Directorate-General aimed, among other objectives, to enlighten public opinion on Greek affairs, to elevate the national and religious spirit of the Greeks and to develop the principles of the social regime under the conditions in Greece.“Rejected by the German Embassy”: The Directorate-General for Press and Radio under the Greek collaborationist governments and film censorship during the Occupation of Greece by the Axis powers (1941-1944), Filmicon: Journal of Greek Film Studies, 2013-10-02.Claim 880, checked 2026-09-26.
  7. Licensing files submitted to the Directorate-General carried handwritten notes recording that the German Embassy had prohibited or granted a license for a film.licensing applications submitted by film companies to the Directorate-General for Press included hand-written notes with the German license number or phrases such as “prohibited” or “license was granted by the German Embassy.”“Rejected by the German Embassy”: The Directorate-General for Press and Radio under the Greek collaborationist governments and film censorship during the Occupation of Greece by the Axis powers (1941-1944), Filmicon: Journal of Greek Film Studies, 2013-10-02.Claim 883, checked 2026-09-26.