210. Editorial Note
On November 14, in a briefing memorandum prepared for the President regarding the visit of Prime Minister Karamanlis and a luncheon reception planned for the following day. Hoover noted that the United States had not supported Greece as firmly as that country wished on the issue of Cyprus; nevertheless Greece had remained “firmly aligned” with the United States. The Under Secretary referred to the Holmes mission and noted that although there was no agreement between Greece and Turkey, officials seemed willing for the first time to have secret talks. (Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Meetings with the President)
On November 15, President Eisenhower gave a luncheon reception for Prime Minister Karamanlis at the White House, On November 17, during the course of a conversation with Secretary Dulles, the President referred to his talk with the Greek Prime Minister, a conversation that presumably occurred during the luncheon. According to a memorandum of the conversation:
“The President reported briefly on his conversation with Prime Minister Karamanlis of Greece. The Prime Minister had said that it was essential that in the near future the British make a generous gesture with regard to Cyprus. He had also stressed that the British attitude was the key to the situation. If they wanted a settlement one could be reached. The Prime Minister did not anticipate any great difficulty with the Turks if the British genuinely desired a settlement.” (Ibid.)