747C.00/9–253: Telegram

No. 360
The Chargé in Greece (Yost) to the Department of State 1

top secret

679. Reference Department telegram 723, August 28.2 We presented Department’s views to Stephanopoulos yesterday. Foreign Minister was disappointed though he conceded that further US approach to Makarios would probably be unsuccessful and that Archbishop would probably leak to press.

Stephanopoulos repeated several times that, if Papagos approach to Eden were unsuccessful and if Makarios’ complaint to UN were not withdrawn, he believed Field Marshal would feel obliged to support and even sponsor this complaint. There is no other question, he said, on which Greek people are more united and in which their cause, being based on UN Charter and right of self-determination, is more just. If Greek Government does not sponsor complaint, some iron curtain or Arab state would, in Kyrou’s opinion, probably do so, which would work to advantage of Communists in Cyprus, perhaps increasing their following from 30 to 50 percent of population.

Foreign Minister said he would discuss question with us again after PapagosEden conversation.3

Yost
  1. Repeated for information to London and Nicosia.
  2. Supra.
  3. No record of such a discussion with Stephanopoulos on the PapagosEden conversation has been found in Department of State files.