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He Zhilong and Gao Chengyuan, Cyrus Vance's Mediation of the Cyprus Crisis in 1967
2020-12-03
The conflict between Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot in 1967 triggered the Cyprus crisis, pushing Turkey and Greece, two NATO members, to the brink of war. The U. S. president, Lyndon Johnson, sent Cyrus Vance as his personal emissary to mediate among Turkey, Greece and Cyprus. After three stages of mediation, Vance finally accomplished his mission and eased the tension. Various factors contributed to the success of Vance's mediation, thereby avoiding the outbreak of war between Greece and Turkey, and temporarily averting a disaster in Cyprus. The accomplishment of Vance's mission also eased the cold relationship between Turkey and the U. S. caused by ‘Johnson letter’ in 1964, and explored a basic model for how the U. S. would later handle its relations with Turkey. However, Vance's successful mediation also strengthened Turkey's own determination to resolve the Cyprus problem, while the Greek Junta accordingly created the perception that the U. S. could suppress Turkey's military intervention in Cyprus, then to forge the danger for the development of the Cyprus history.