111. Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between Secretary of State Kissinger and Turkish Prime Minister Ecevit 1
E: Hello. We have reached this decision. Of course, we all accept the terms for a ceasefire once the Council has decided it and we want it to materialize. We are ready at the earliest possible time tomorrow to discuss the minimum conditions of ceasefire after all that has happened anywhere in all the countries concerned. It can be in ______ or anywhere in Switzerland so that we don’t lose time travelling. And we will authorize our representative to declare for us the time of ceasefire for anytime tomorrow once the minimum conditions for ceasefire, for the supervision of ceasefire is complete. Would that be all right?
[Page 365]K: I am afraid not, Mr. Prime Minister. I have to point out to you a number of developments. First, we have information and the British have also that there may be a coup in Greece tomorrow.
E: A which…
K: A coup in Greece which will bring in a group which is going to be even more difficult and which will move towards the Soviet Union.
E: Yes.
K: And I do not believe that this can be in the Turkish interest.
E: I see.
K: And this is the information I received from Foreign Minister Callaghan 2 so it is not something I am telling you to make a point. He called me right now.
E: Even if that happens. If it is going to happen tomorrow, we will encounter the same difficulties tomorrow wouldn’t we?
K: Secondly…
E: I mean this strengthens my arguments. You see, we will be ______ the ceasefire today—sometime this evening. Tomorrow as you say there will be a change of regime—a coup in Greece so obviously the new rulers will say we are not committed to this arrangement.
K: Well, in that case—of course then you can start again if you want to.
E: This is a very new development and I’ll…
K: And the second consideration that I must put before you is that if the threat of war between Greece and Turkey isn’t ended, we will have to ask you to let us [1 line not declassified].
E: Yes.
K: And we will have to do the same in—on the other side and [less than 1 line not declassified] it will have profound consequences.
E: I see. Well, that is very important. Our Chief of General Staff is here. I’ll speak with him. We will leave the other subjects and then telephone you say within a half an hour.3
K: Good. Thank you.
- Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 384, Telephone Conversations, Chronological File. No classification marking. Kissinger was in Washington; Ecevit was in Ankara. All omissions are in the original.↩
- See footnote 11, Document 110.↩
- Kissinger and Ecevit spoke at 1:25 p.m. (Transcript of telephone conversation; Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 384, Telephone Conversations, Chronological File)↩