Office of the Historian

315. Telegram From the Embassy in the United Kingdom to the Department of State0

London, February 26, 1959, 7 p.m.

4454. Embtel 4453.1 Foreign Office passed Embassy copy UK-Greece-Turkey agreed minutes re Cyprus white paper February 192 and informally made following points of interest to Department.

1.
US facilities. Final clause (IV) paragraph B UK declaration (page 12 white paper) commits Cypriots to assume appropriate obligations. This considered obvious applicable provision US facilities problem. [5 lines of source text not declassified]
2.
Committee in London3 (paragraph 2 C of agreed measures re new arrangements in Cyprus, page 15 white paper). Foreign Office looking for premises committee, which probably will be organized at ministerial level with officials doing real work. Hopes it will meet within week.
3.
Transitional committee on Cyprus (paragraph 2 B above document). Plans begun get it going, but names and details not worked out. While choice rests with Governor, he obviously will accept recommendations, and committee in fact, if not de jure, will become transitional government of island.
4.
Date of independence.4 Now that outside date set, Foot extremely eager get on with task and some hope he may finish ahead of time. At same time, Averoff said at conference and Foreign Office thinks it possible, UK could obtain short extension if date appears impracticable. Obviously too soon decide this question.
5.
Definition of military areas (paragraph B UK declaration, page 12 white paper) not even begun, and much work to be done on this.
6.
Most immediate problem is to get Makarios in and Grivas out with minimum of difficulties. Harding offer amnesty for EOKA was in effect “turn head other way,” but EOKA wants more formal acceptance [Page 775] of amnesty this time. Problem of face and prestige involved both sides. Makarios due on island March 1 or 2, and Foreign Office hopes inevitable celebrations won’t get out of hand. It gave Greece approval for few students return for celebrations and now finds group numbers 800 and involves special ship. Foreign Office somewhat fearful Turk reaction and incidents between communities.
7.
Foreign Office stressed main preoccupation at this time is maintain spirit genuine cooperation which existed at conference, without which implementation agreement next to impossible.
Whitney
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 747C.00/2–2659. Secret. Repeated to Ankara, Athens, Nicosia, and Paris for USRO.↩
  2. Telegram 4453 from London, February 26, transmitted the text of a February 19 secret protocol initialed by the Foreign Ministers of Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. (Ibid.)↩
  3. The minutes have not been identified. The White Paper was The Conference on Cyprus (Cyprus, February 1959), Cmd. 680.↩
  4. Regarding the three committees established to implement the London accords, see Document 316.↩
  5. The London accords called for the establishment of an independent Cypriot state by February 19, 1960.↩