Greek Americans by Peter C. Moskos Charles C. Moskos

Author:Peter C. Moskos,Charles C. Moskos
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2017-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

The Invasion of Cyprus and the Formation of a Greek American Lobby

The trend in Greek America during the sixties toward the Republican Party, symbolized by the Agnew vice presidency, was abruptly reversed by tragic events in Cyprus. This island republic is situated off the southern coast of Turkey. When Cyprus gained its independence from Britain in 1960, the population was about two-thirds Greek Cypriot and one-third Turkish Cypriot. However, many in Greece considered Cyprus another Greek island of the Aegean and dreamed of unification or enosis (ένωσις). UN Peacekeepers arrived in 1964 after intercommunal violence. On July 15, 1974, acting on the dream of enosis, a coup led by a small group of Greek mainland officers and abetted by the Greek junta overthrew the Cypriot government of President Makarios. For its part, the US government reacted indifferently to the ouster of Makarios, tacitly approving of the turn of events. This further poisoned relations between the American government and democratic forces in Greece and Cyprus. Not entirely without justification, Turkey claimed that the Greek-engendered coup threatened the security of the Turkish Cypriot minority on the island. Turkey invaded on July 20. By August 1974, after ethnic cleansing and the violation of numerous cease-fire agreements, Turkey had gained control of 40 percent of the land area of Cyprus. In more starkly human terms, about 180,000 Greek Cypriots, close to one-third of the total Greek population on the island, had become refugees. The reaction of the Greek American community was immediate. Large sums for refugee relief were raised. Whatever their previous stand on the Greek junta, all elements in Greek America were equally angered by the tilt toward Turkey brought about by President Ford and, in particular, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. The Turkish invasion of Cyprus generated a political mobilization of the Greek American community never before seen.

Greek American pressure was exerted on Congress to prohibit the transfer of American arms to Turkey. From the start, the principle of the rule of law was invoked. This lobby sought simply to make the United States adhere to its own laws, which ban the use of military weapons given by the United States to Turkey for other than defensive purposes. The Turkish use of American military weapons on Cyprus clearly violated US laws banning their employment for other than defensive purposes (as well as a specific agreement between Washington and Ankara against shipment of such weapons without US consent). The efforts of the Greek American community became so well orchestrated that Time magazine wrote, “one of the most effective lobbies in Washington today is that of Greek Americans.”17 Congressmen of Greek descent served as the nucleus of the opposition to Turkish arms, but they were greatly assisted by others, notably Senator Thomas Eagleton of Missouri and Congressman Benjamin Rosenthal of New York.

Congress imposed an embargo on arms to Turkey in February 1975, with the terms that the embargo could only be lifted after substantial progress had been made toward a Cyprus settlement. These restrictions were subsequently modified to allow Turkey to receive large sums in military credits.

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