TURKS DID NOT WIN ANY BATTLE IN CYPRUS “WE” engineered our losses

THE HISTORY CAFÉ OF THE

HELLENIC CULTURAL CENTER OF THE SOUTHWEST

AND THE FRIENDS OF CYPRUS

P R E S E N T

 TURKS DID NOT WIN ANY BATTLE IN CYPRUS

“WE” engineered our losses...

Secretary Kissinger: What exactly is the situation on the island? I’ve got to know that for my talks with Makarios this afternoon. Isn’t the Turkish position on the island weaker now than before?

Gen. Walters: Well . . .

Secretary Kissinger: Wait, before that, George (Gen. Brown) would you like to say something?

Gen. Brown: There are two things. One, the Turks have not made the headway they expected. They underestimated Greek resistance and overestimated Turkish support on the island. However, and this is the second point, they can re-supply and they control the air. Over time this will make a great difference. They can greatly strengthen their forces on the beachhead, which is already strong. They have a line of communication with the sea.

Secretary Kissinger: If I have learned anything since coming to Washington it is that you have only two choices in using force: either you use strong force or none at all. If you are going to use force, it should be used massively. There are no awards for moderate use of force.

Gen. Brown: There are indications that they have taken your advice.

Secretary Kissinger: How’s that?

Gen. Brown: They attacked their own ships yesterday, apparently sunk a couple.

Secretary Kissinger: What’s that?

Gen. Brown: We’re not sure, somewhere off the southern coast.  (Excerpt from a discussion in the WH Situation Room on 7-22-74)

The largely unknown story of the heroic resistance of the Cypriot National Guard during the July 20^th, 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The tragic account of an orchestrated fiasco that could have had a very different outcome

 

A note for our two pictures: In the first photo we see men of the 31^st Special forces battalion of the National Guard. The photo was taken on Aug. 9^th, 1974. The second photo is from a wall in Nicosia with a moto painted by EOKA fighters during the struggle against the colonial occupation.

 

Connection Link: https://yannis.my.webex.com/yannis.my/j.php?MTID=m792762d1be8e6dc0bc067a265982936f

 

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