140. Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between Secretary of State Kissinger and Turkish Prime Minister Ecevit1
E: Mr. Kissinger, this is Ecevit.
K: Mr. Prime Minister how are you?
E: I feel very sorry. Please accept my condolences.
K: This is one of those unfortunate events. I have to make a statement at noon today and I want to make a fairly strong statement along a number of lines, that we’re not going to be pressured.2 I would like to say we favor an immediate negotiation in which we are in favor of a reduction of Turkish forces on the Island and we have been assured by the Turks of it. I think it would help us greatly. We are having demonstrations of 30,000 people here in Washington. What do you think?
E: Let me get you straight. You are going to make a strong statement…
K: What I would say in my statement is, here is what we’ve done.
E: That you are not going to be pressured by…
K: And we believe negotiations should be started immediately. We believe that in these negotiations we would use their influence that some of the territories that have been occupied recently, that Turkey should show flexibility in respect to the territory it now holds and the …
E: You know my idea about ———3 to relinquish some of it with regard to the reduction of forces. Under the present circumstances, it would be difficult to commit ourselves. You can explain it in this way. Negotiations are established so that a final settlement could be reached immediately or without delay so the Turks could be expected to start reduction of their forces.
K: Can I say I have been assured by the Turkish Prime Minister that he would be prepared to consider this?
E: As soon as a final settlement is reached and reasonable security is reached on the Island this is a great ———atrocity ———we found killed. It would be very difficult for us to commit ourselves to a reduction of forces. We are bound by the Geneva agreement ———that the Turks are committed to it.
[Page 459]K: Can I say you have reaffirmed that?
E: Yes, we reaffirm our ———to the Geneva declaration.
K: I think it would help here greatly. I will send you a message Mr. Prime Minister. You know that this ———move we’re encouraging and we shouldn’t discuss it on the telephone. I will send you a further message about this.4
E: Can I ring you back and tell you after consultations with our foreign ministers about how much we can commit ourselves?
K: Could you do it within the next hour?
E: Shall I reach you at the State Department or the White House?
K: At the State Department.
E: I’ll do that.
K: The statement I’m making will have the support of President Ford and its purpose is to get negotiations started.
E: I understand. I’ll give you a ring within the next hour. My condolences again.
K: Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister.
- Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 385, Telephone Conversations, Chronological File. No classification marking. Kissinger was in Washington; Ecevit was in Ankara.↩
- The text was sent in telegram 181676 to multiple NATO posts, August 19. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files, 1974)↩
- This and other omissions are in the original.↩
- Not found; see Document 141.↩