Cyprus Crisis And Johnson Administrations Response: 1963-1964

Cyprus is an island country which located at the southeast corner of the Mediterranean. After the Second World War, as results of the policy'divide and rule'by the U.K. colonists. A far-reaching issue of ethnic group was triggered in Cyprus, at the same time it brought on disputes between Greece and Turkey. In 1960, Cyprus was independent in the'protection'of The London - Zurich Agreements. In order to get rid of restrictions from the U.K., Turkey and Greece, the frist president of Cyprus, Makarios, carried out constitutional reform to achieve the complete independence of Cyprus ultimately, therefore it triggered the first and the most serious politica crisis since the independence of the Cyprus. Thus, Greece and Turkey was going to war with each other frequently, which is bound to endanger the internal solidarity of the Western camp. The U.S., as the leader of the Western nations, who wanted to maintain the stability of the Eastern Mediterranean region , avoid the war between Greece and Turkey, had to intervene the Cyprus problem directly.Facing the crisis in Cyprus, Johnson Administration sent Acting Secretary of State George Ball and Former Secretary of State Dean Acheson to mediate. However, because of inherent contradictions in policies, they were not in order to settle the underlying problems in Cyprus initially, they were only to cater to the interests of Greek and Turkish Goverments. In order to avoid the war between Greece and Turkey in disregard of the interests of Cypriot. Therefore, the policies by Johnson Administration were doomed to failure, at the same time it induced the relations of America-Greece and America-Tuykey worse and worse, and provided a chance for U.S.S.R. to intervene in Cyprus problem.