Office of the Historian

115. Telegram From the Embassy in Turkey to the Department of State1

Ankara, August 9, 1964, 7 p.m.

244. Deptel 201.2 For Under Secretary Ball from Hare. Had appointment with Erkin immediately following receipt your telegram. Asked him what reaction had been to my asking them hold hand after receipt [Page 240] your telephone call. He said has talked to Inonu who had said unable do so. I then asked see Inonu to deliver your message and Erkin and I went to his house together.

He was friendly but tough, saying every hour given Makarios is used for evil and he unwilling give him any more time. As for today didn’t expect there would be much if any more air activity due to advanced hour. What he would agree to is to call off further air strikes if by tomorrow morning Makarios stops attacks at Kokkina and agrees to eventual withdrawal from area occupied by Greeks. This to be followed by agreement restore peace immediately on whole of island.

Inonu said felt confident this could be done if put to Makarios straight and hard. Time serves no purpose with him. Overnight will be time enough. He insisted on sunrise as expiration period put this over. I said couldn’t see how this could possibly work since would give no time for exchange views in morning. In end he agreed I should see Erkin at nine o’clock tomorrow morning to determine where we stand. This was maximum I could wring out of him.3

He also said he convinced that if quiet restored in island Acheson should be able finish up in week.

He seemed think you and Acheson miraclemen. I said knew you damned good but would not want assignment he giving you tonight.

Longer telegram follows giving conversation in detail but this is guts.4

Will be available all night but suggest Flash telegrams preferable to telephone which usually pretty poor.

Hare
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 23–8 CYP. Secret; Flash. Received at 12:33 p.m. and passed to the White House, DOD, CIA, and USUN.↩
  2. Telegram 201 to Ankara, August 9, instructed Hare to “tell Inonu urgently that Turks have now made their point emphatically by military action. However, if they proceed further in the face of imminent warning of a general massacre, neither the US nor world opinion will condone this and they will have hurt their cause irreparably.” (Ibid., POL 7 US/BALL)↩
  3. The Department reported this to Nicosia in telegram 128 to Nicosia, August 9. It instructed Belcher to meet immediately with Makarios to secure a cease-fire. (Ibid.)↩
  4. Telegram 247 from Ankara, August 9. (Ibid.)↩