Reports by the Greek National Intelligence Service (EYP) on relations between Nicosia and Athens before the Coup in 1974
The 58 reports from EYP from July and August 1974, which were recently declassified and released to the public, hold significant historical interest.
Despite the fact that some sections of the documents remain classified, examining the records from the critical days before and after the coup and invasion sheds light on unresolved issues related to one of the most important periods in Cypriot history. These reports also allow for a deeper study of historical questions, such as the nature of relations between Nicosia and Athens, whether Greece was aware of Turkey’s preparations for the invasion, and the extent of Greece’s intelligence knowledge regarding the actions of the coup organisers on 15 July.
Although the report dated 14 July 1974 has not been declassified, the analysis of reports from preceding days is particularly insightful regarding the atmosphere of the period and the severely strained relations between Archbishop Makarios’s government and the junta leadership in Athens.
The report dated 12 July 1974 from EYP (then known as KYP) makes extensive reference to the decisions of the Greek Council of Ministers on 11 July concerning relations between the junta and EOKA B’. The report includes information on the decision by the Cypriot government to take specific actions, on the condition that “the Greek Government will take measures to dissolve EOKA B.” Among these measures was the decision not to impose a deadline for the withdrawal of Greek officers from Cyprus, not to raise issues regarding the precise number of officers, and to defer discussions about their legal status until later. The report comments, “It is believed that the Cypriot Government’s conciliatory stance is likely aimed at buying time to reduce tensions and facilitate the gradual withdrawal of Greek officers following the discharge of a number of soldiers in September and the stabilisation of the National Guard’s strength.”
The atmosphere is further reflected in the report from 13 July, which recounts how the Greek Ambassador in Cyprus was informed of these decisions by the Cypriot Minister of the Interior: “Through these proposals, Archbishop Makarios is pressuring the Greek Government to achieve the dissolution of EOKA B, and it is doubtful whether this will satisfy the Greek side,” states the report dated 13 July 1974.
The 15 July report follows a similar tone, commenting on an interview given by Makarios to a British media outlet, in which he criticises Athens’s stance, accusing it of backing EOKA B’. The EYP author remarks on this interview, stating: “Through these actions, Makarios is attempting to expose the Greek government internationally and to compel it to take steps towards dissolving EOKA B. This tactic is expected to continue.”
Greek National Intelligence Service appears to not have been involved in organising the coup
Professor Evanthis Hatzivassiliou, in a commentary accompanying EYP’s press release regarding the declassification, notes that the last statement confirms that Greek intelligence services were unaware of the preparations for the coup against Makarios. “It appears that the Service was not involved in the planning of the 15 July coup against the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios. Of course, by their nature, intelligence reports are not expected to contain information on a planned, i.e., future coup; they record what has happened the previous day and do not predict what has yet to occur. However, the material makes it relatively clear that the report authors and, more broadly—I believe this can be stated with a degree of certainty—the Service itself was not aware of the coup planning. It is telling that in the report from 15 July (covering events up to 8 a.m. on that day), it states, ‘This tactic [by Makarios] is expected to continue.’ This is a misjudgement—it implies Makarios’s continued presence—which would not have been made if the authors had known that the coup against the Archbishop would occur within half an hour and prove them wrong,” commented Professor Hatzivassiliou of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, who also serves as Secretary General of the Hellenic Parliament Foundation.
The 16 July report provides a detailed account of the coup events, the seizure of the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (RIK), the proclamation made by Nikos Sampson, and statements by Turkish Cypriot and Turkish leadership noting that “Turkey will not accept faits accomplis and retains the right to intervene.” It is noteworthy that the 16 July 1974 report contains only a factual record of events, without the commentary seen in previous days’ reports.
Source: CNA/AZA/GVA
