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.

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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.

  1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Memoranda of Conversation with the President. Secret; Personal and Private. Drafted by Dulles.
  2. Eisenhower met with Melas on September 26. No record of their conversation has been found.
  3. 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.