EOKA-B was founded by General George Grivas as his last organizational attempt before his death on 17 January 1974. Grivas, a stridently anti-communist military leader during the Greek Civil War, was among the founders of EOKA in the early 1950s. After the declaration of independent Cyprus state he took over the Supreme Command of the Greek Cypriot forces organised under the National Guard as well as the Greek military division in early 1960s.