The Cyprus Crisis, 1974

On 15 July 1974 the Greek junta engineered a coup against President Makarios of Cyprus. On 20 July Turkey intervened militarily; a second phase followed on 14 August. Six institutions — CIA, INR, the State Department, the NSC, the UK Joint Intelligence Committee and NATO's Military Committee — assessed the same events in the same weeks and did not agree.

51 documents 6 claims 1974-04-01 → 1975-12-31

Open in the research workspace →

Chronology

• 1974-06-21 — Interagency Intelligence Memorandum judges intervention unlikely
  The community assesses Turkey would land "only in the unlikely event of a Greek attempt to take over the island".
• 1974-06-29 — State Department warns Athens against toppling Makarios
  Telegram 141500 states the coup risk explicitly, sixteen days in advance.
• 1974-07-15 — Coup against Makarios
  The Greek-officered Cypriot National Guard overthrows Makarios; Nikos Sampson installed.
• 1974-07-17 — Ecevit tells the US ambassador Turkey will intervene
  80-minute meeting: intervention "beyond a few days" is not acceptable.
• 1974-07-18 — Sisco shuttle: London, Ankara, Athens
  US attempts to buy time and prevent the landing.
• 1974-07-20 — Turkish military intervention begins
  Turkish forces land near Kyrenia.
• 1974-07-23 — Greek junta collapses; Karamanlis returns
  The Athens junta hands power to civilian government.
• 1974-07-25 — Geneva conferences
  Guarantor powers meet; talks break down in August.
• 1974-08-14 — Second Turkish operation
  Turkish forces expand to the line that still divides the island.
• 1974-08-14 — Greece withdraws from NATO's integrated military structure
  Announced the same day as the second operation.
• 1974-09-10 — INR post-mortem delivered to Kissinger
  "One cannot conclude … that we had what could be called warning."
• 1975-10-03 — Pike Committee examines Cyprus as an intelligence failure
  Cyprus 1974 is one of four case studies; hearings cancelled.

Claims under test

• Turkey was increasingly likely to intervene militarily in Cyprus. — 7 supporting, 4 contradicting (contested)
• Turkey's objective was de facto partition (double enosis), not solely protection of the Turkish Cypriot community. — 4 supporting, 1 contradicting (corroborated)
• The United States had adequate advance warning of the Greek move against Makarios. — 3 supporting, 3 contradicting (contested)
• The coup against Makarios was engineered by the Greek government. — 2 supporting, 0 contradicting (corroborated)
• After the first operation Turkey lacked the territory needed to establish a defensible partition. — 1 supporting, 2 contradicting (refuted)
• Greece would not go to war with Turkey over Cyprus. — 2 supporting, 2 contradicting (corroborated)

Documents in this case (51)

• 06762112 — CYPRUS: Makarios Cracks Down on EOKA-B (CIA, 1974-04-26)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D75 — Study Prepared by the Interdepartmental Group for Near East and South Asia (State / NSC Interdepartmental Group (NEA), 1974-05-06)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D14 — Telegram From the Embassy in Greece to the Department of State (tel. 3705) (Embassy Athens, 1974-06-14)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D15 — Interagency Intelligence Memorandum: The Likelihood of Conflict Between Greece and Turkey (CIA / DIA / INR (Interagency), 1974-06-21)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D76 — Telegram From the Embassy in Turkey to the Department of State (tel. 5012) (Embassy Ankara, 1974-06-25)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D77 — Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassies in Greece and Cyprus (tel. 141500) (Department of State, 1974-06-29)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D78 — Telegram From the Embassy in Cyprus to the Department of State (tel. 1302) (Embassy Nicosia, 1974-07-09)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D79 — Memorandum From Rosemary Niehuss of the NSC Staff to Secretary of State Kissinger (NSC Staff, 1974-07-15)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D80 — Minutes of Meeting of the Washington Special Actions Group (NSC / WSAG, 1974-07-15)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D81 — Telegram From the Embassy in Greece to the Department of State (tel. 4494) (Embassy Athens, 1974-07-15)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D82 — Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Greece (tel. 152379) (Department of State, 1974-07-15)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D85 — Telegram From the Embassy in Turkey to the Department of State (tel. 5589) (Embassy Ankara, 1974-07-15)
• PREM 16/19 — CYPRUS. Coup d'etat in Cyprus: Archbishop Makarios replaced by Nicos Sampson; invasion of Northern Cyprus by Turkey; Glafcos Clerides, acting President of Cyprus; role of UK forces in Sovereign Base Areas (UK Prime Minister's Office, 1974-07-15, metadata only)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D86 — Minutes of Meeting of the Washington Special Actions Group (NSC / WSAG, 1974-07-16)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D90 — Telegram From the Embassy in Turkey to the Department of State (tel. 5629) (Embassy Ankara, 1974-07-17)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D91 — Minutes of Meeting of the Washington Special Actions Group (NSC / WSAG, 1974-07-17)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D93 — Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between President Nixon and Secretary Kissinger (White House / NSC, 1974-07-17)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D96 — Editorial Note (Sisco mission notes, London and Ankara) (Department of State, 1974-07-18)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D97 — Telegram From the Department of State to Certain Posts (tel. 156312) (Department of State, 1974-07-18)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D100 — Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between Kissinger and Secretary of Defense Schlesinger (Department of Defense / NSC, 1974-07-19)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D102 — Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between Kissinger and DCI Colby (CIA / NSC, 1974-07-19)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D103 — Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between President Nixon and Secretary Kissinger (White House / NSC, 1974-07-19)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D99 — Telegram From the Embassy in Greece to the Department of State (tel. 4658, Polto 20) (Department of State (Sisco, reporting from Athens), 1974-07-19)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D104 — Editorial Note (Sisco meetings in Ankara and Athens, 20 July) (Department of State, 1974-07-20)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D105 — Minutes of Meeting of the Washington Special Actions Group (NSC / WSAG, 1974-07-20)
• RECORD-MC-200774 SPEC — Military Committee Meeting on 20 July 1974 (NATO Military Committee, 1974-07-20, metadata only)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D111 — Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between Kissinger and Turkish Prime Minister Ecevit (Department of State / Turkish Government, 1974-07-21)
• LOC-HAK-471-4-4-0 — CYPRUS (DCI Briefing for 21 July WSAG Meeting) (CIA, 1974-07-21)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D112 — Briefing Memorandum From Assistant Secretary Hartman to Secretary Kissinger, with attached paper "Cyprus: Issues and Options" (Department of State / INR, 1974-07-22)
• LOC-HAK-471-4-5-9 — CYPRUS (Briefing for 22 July WSAG Meeting) (CIA, 1974-07-22)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D118 — Briefing Memorandum From Assistant Secretary Hartman to Secretary Kissinger (Department of State, 1974-07-23)
• IMSWM-175-74 — Broad Military Implications to NATO From the Cyprus Crisis 1974 (NATO International Military Staff, 1974-07-23, metadata only)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D120 — Telegram From the Embassy in Cyprus to the Department of State (tel. 1723) (Embassy Nicosia, 1974-07-24)
• PREM 16/20 — CYPRUS. Coup d'etat in Cyprus … UK involvement in negotiations for ceasefire; part 2 (UK Prime Minister's Office, 1974-07-26, metadata only)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D122 — Briefing Memorandum From the Cyprus Task Force to Secretary Kissinger (Department of State / INR (Cyprus Task Force), 1974-07-28)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D123 — Memorandum From DCI Colby to the President's Assistant for National Security Affairs (CIA, 1974-07-29, metadata only)
• RECORD-MC-030-74 — Military Committee Meeting on 23 July 1974 (NATO Military Committee, 1974-08-01, metadata only)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D130 — Paper Prepared in the Department of State: "Cyprus Contingencies" (Department of State / INR, 1974-08-13)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D131 — Minutes of Meeting of the Washington Special Actions Group (NSC / WSAG, 1974-08-14)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D132 — Minutes of Meeting of the Washington Special Actions Group (NSC / WSAG, 1974-08-15)
• RECORD-MC-032-74 RESTR — Military Committee Meeting on 14 August 1974 (NATO Military Committee, 1974-08-19, metadata only)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D143 — Memorandum From INR Director Hyland to Secretary Kissinger: "Some Thoughts on Cyprus" (INR (Bureau of Intelligence and Research), 1974-08-21)
• CIA-RDP80M01133A000700160012-2 — Forthcoming Intelligence Community Staff Post-Mortem Study of the Role of Intelligence During the Cyprus Crisis (CIA / Intelligence Community Staff, 1974-08-22)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D22 — Paper Prepared in the Central Intelligence Agency: "Athens' Frustrations With the US and the Prospects for the Greek Left" (CIA, 1974-08-29)
• FRUS 1969-76 v30 D148 — Memorandum From INR Director Hyland to Secretary Kissinger: "Cyprus Coup Post Mortem", with attached chronology (INR (Bureau of Intelligence and Research), 1974-09-10)
• CIA-RDP80M01082A000800070011-9 — Release of Post Mortem (memo DCI/IC-75-0685) (CIA / Intelligence Community Staff, 1975-07-29)
• CIA-RDP94T00754R000100230009-7 — Why Did Cyprus Coup Surprise U.S.? (CIA (Directorate of Intelligence records), 1975-10-03)
• PIKE-1975-CYPRUS — Report of the House Select Committee on Intelligence (Pike Committee) — section II.B.6 "Cyprus — failure of intelligence and policy" (US House Select Committee on Intelligence, 1976-02-16)
• GREESE-42 — George Kazamias, "From Pragmatism to Idealism to Failure: Britain in the Cyprus crisis of 1974", GreeSE Paper No. 42, Hellenic Observatory, LSE (LSE Hellenic Observatory (quoting UK JIC and Cabinet files), 2010-12-01)
• EBB-596 — The White House, the CIA and the Pike Committee, 1975 (Electronic Briefing Book 596) (National Security Archive, 2017-06-02)
• NIXON-CYPRUS-FA — Resources for Cyprus / 1974 Cypriot Coup (finding aid) (Richard Nixon Presidential Library, 2023-08-01)