152. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Cyprus 1

214632. Subject: Secretary’s Message for Clerides. Ref: Nicosia 3361.2 From the Secretary for the Ambassador. Deliver to Ambassador 8 am September 29.

1. Please see Clerides as soon as possible and give him the following oral message from me.

Begin message: The Secretary wants Clerides to know that the President and he have been following with great interest and admiration his efforts over the past week to promote a peaceful settlement in Cyprus. The Secretary has been informed by Ambassador Crawford of Clerides’ belief that his discussions with Denktash on humanitarian issues can be enlarged to encompass negotiations on the basic political issues which are of interest to the two communities in Cyprus. The United States fully supports the negotiations between Clerides and Denktash. We believe these negotiations provide the best prospect for a just and lasting solution to the Cyprus problem and hope that Clerides will continue to play the active and constructive role which has already earned him such a measure of respect. The Secretary met with the Foreign Ministers of Greece and Turkey in New York last week3 and he will be seeing them again early next week. The Secretary was gratified to find that they too support the efforts that Clerides and Denktash have been making and agree with us that the talks in Nicosia should be encouraged to move ahead on substantive issues.

When the Secretary meets again with the Foreign Ministers of Greece and Turkey he will reaffirm to them our strong support for Clerides’ efforts. At that time he will restate our view that nothing should be done at the UN or elsewhere that would weaken Clerides’ leadership of the Cyprus Government or diminish prospects for the success of his negotiations. In particular the Secretary will stress again [Page 507] to the Greek Foreign Minister the need to urge Archbishop Makarios to take no action that could prejudice the continuing efforts in Nicosia. Finally the Secretary wants Clerides to know that he remains in close direct touch with Athens and Ankara in his search for flexibility and progress in the Cyprus issue. Warm regards, Henry A. Kissinger. End message.

Kissinger
  1. Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Presidential Country Files for Middle East and South Asia, 1974–1977, Box 2, Cyprus, Nodis 1. Secret; Flash; Nodis. Drafted by Eagleton and Stabler, cleared by Hartman, and approved by the Secretary. Repeated Immediate to Athens, Ankara, and London.
  2. Dated September 28. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files, 1974)
  3. Kissinger met with Mavros on September 24. (Memorandum of conversation; Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box CL 343, Department of State, Memoranda of Conversations, External) For Kissinger’s meeting with Gunes, seeDocument 210.