307. Editorial Note
Fighting between Turkish Cypriot military formations and Greek Cypriot police and National Guard units broke out on November 15, 1967, at Agios Theodoros and nearby Kophinou. On November 16, the Turkish Government demanded that Greek Cypriots immediately cease their attacks and threatened military intervention. The following day, a Turkish note to the Greek Government demanded the removal of its troops on Cyprus, the recall of General Grivas, compensation for victims of Greek Cypriot attacks, and the end of restrictions on Turkish Cypriots. [Page 643] After consultations with the involved states and at the United Nations, the United States decided to send a special envoy to the area to support the efforts of U.N. and NATO representatives to avoid a military clash over the island.
On November 22, President Johnson asked former Under Secretary of Defense Cyrus Vance to serve as his envoy. Vance arrived in Ankara at noon the following day. Between November 23 and December 4, Vance shuttled among Ankara, Athens, and Nicosia in an effort to secure a peaceful settlement. Documentation on the Vance mission is in Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 CYPRUS, and ibid., POL 7 US–VANCE, and Johnson Library, Tom Johnson’s Notes of Meetings.
Also on November 22, U.N. Secretary-General U Thant announced that he was sending Jose Rolz-Bennett to the three capitals as his Special Representative to convey directly to the governments his grave concern and his “urgent appeal for utmost restraint.” For text of his statement (U.N. Doc. S/8248/Add.3), see American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1967, pages 365–366.