268. Memorandum of Conversation Between President Eisenhower and Secretary of State Dulles0
[Here follows discussion of unrelated subjects.]
(3) We spoke of the Cyprus situation. The President recalled his farewell call from Ambassador Melas1 and his emphatic presentation to the Ambassador of the importance of having a sense of proportion. He said that Greece for many centuries, going back to Pericles, had been a leader of human freedom and of democracy in the world, and that it would be a tragedy if it sold out its birthright because of a relatively minor dispute about Cyprus. Also, to wreck NATO on this account would be wholly unjustifiable.
[Page 716]I recalled that I had urged Spaak to go back to Paris to be there for today’s meeting, and also Burgess.2 I expressed myself, however, as apprehensive as to the outcome in view of the very emotional attitude of the Greeks.
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Memoranda of Conversation with the President. Secret; Personal and Private. Drafted by Dulles.↩
- Eisenhower met with Melas on September 26. No record of their conversation has been found.↩
- Dulles made this suggestion during his September 27 discussion with Spaak; see Document 265. No record of Dulles’ instructions to Burgess has been found, but Burgess was present at the meeting with Spaak.↩