A Twitter thread regarding Turkey’s policies that started earlier this week, re-brought the infamous ‘Family Jewels’ files to the surface. Answering to commentators Cyprus High Commissioner Euripides Evriviades screenshot uncensored parts of the 702 pages that changed the world’s perception on US politics when the CIA broke its silence back on Tuesday, 26 June 2007.
The Twitter debate, was sparked by comments regarding the reunification of the island and Turkey’s claims that it cannot withdraw its troops, as Turkish Cypriots would fear for their safety and lives.
Ankara has repeatedly blamed Greece and Greek Cypriots for requesting the withdrawal of the Turkish troops from the occupied side of the island, in order for the two sides to come to a reunification agreement.
Mr Evriviadis tore down his social media opponents with two Twitter posts citing two very strong and factually sound arguments across two days. The reaction to the excerpts from the ‘Family Jewels’ files was so overwhelming resulting in several local and international news publications treating the documents’ reveal as a timely news story.
THE FIRST TWEET
His first post included a file exempt from declassification, from the National Security Adviser’s Memoranda of Conversation Collection at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library proves Henry Kissinger’s implicit support toward Turkey during the 1974 Cyprus invasion over their official ally, Greece.
HISTORY UNREFUTED
The then president Gerald Ford asked Kissinger, “What we do if the Turks moved?” and was told the US would have to vote against them in the United Nations Security Council.
“We would have our hands full to keep the Greeks from going to war. The Turks right now are extremely nationalistic. For a few years ago, the Turkish tactics are right – grab what they want and then negotiate on the basis of possession,” he said.
Then, he added ominously: “But if the Turks run loose on Cyprus, the Greeks could come unglued. We certainly do not want a war between the two, but if it came to that, Turkey is more important to us and they have a political structure which could produce a Qadhafi,” referring to Libya’s military dictator.
A day before a second invasion wave of Turkish forces on Cyprus in 1974, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger told President Gerald Ford – in office only four days after Richard Nixon resigned, facing impeachment over Watergate – that if Greece went to war with Turkey that America should back the Turks and that they were entitled to seize part of the island.
“We have been trying to bail the Cyprus situation out after it got out of control. The British have made a mess of it,” Kissinger says later on referring to the island’s former Colonial ruler.
“If the Turks move to take what they want, they will be condemned in the Security Council and the Soviet Union will beat them over the head with it. Some of my colleagues want to cut off assistance to Turkey’ – that would be a disaster,” he continued.
Despite Greece having been an ally of the United States in every war, Kissinger said that, “There is no American reason why the Turks ‘should not have one-third of Cyprus. We will make a statement today that will get the New York Times off our back, but we should not twist their arm,” the record showed.
THE SECOND TWEET:
Two days after posting the ‘Family Jewels’ documents that reminded the world Kissinger’s implication to the Cyprus invasion, Evriviades once again shut down the opposition’s arguments supporting that Turkey’s sole interest for the invasion was to protect Turkish Cypriot citizens by rehashing Ahmet Davutoğlu. The former Prime Minister of Turkey and leader of the Justice and Development Party from August 2014 to May 2016 had explicitly written in his book ‘Strategic Depth’ that Turkey always had its eye on Cyprus due to its key location.
Watch a video of Henry Kissinger talking about Cyprus on behalf of the then President back on 20 August 1974: