The Southern Flank in crisis, 1973-1976

This volume covers the period 1973-1976 when NATO's southern flank was plunged into crisis by a revolution in Portugal and a coup d'état in Cyprus. The political turmoil in Portugal, coupled with Turkey's military intervention in Cyprus, raising the prospect of a full scale war between Turkey and Greece, emphasised the vulnerability of the alliance to regime change in the Mediterranean.

The Western allies had also to prepare for the death of two ageing dictators in Spain and Yugoslavia. This volume draws upon the records of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Defence, to document the reactions of Harold Wilson's Labour Government to these developments.

The documents reveal that while the Labour Government welcomed the restoration of democracy in Athens and Lisbon, it was cautious about the prospects for political change in Spain and uncertain about how best to respond to the threat of a Communist take-over in Portugal.

They cover in detail British efforts to achieve a negotiated settlement of the Cyprus dispute and shed new light on the differences which emerged between James Callaghan and Henry Kissinger both in the handling of the Cyprus questions, and in their dealings with Portugal after Caetano's overthrow.

Contents

• British policy towards the colonels' regime in Athens and concern over its meddling in the domestic politics of Cyprus.
• The lack of progress in constitutional talks between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities.
• The coup against Archbishop Makarios and the subsequent Turkish military intervention in Cyprus.
• The Geneva Conference of July/August 1974, British diplomacy and attempts to promote a settlement, and the resumption of the Turkish military advance.
• Differences between Callaghan and Kissinger over the handling of the Cyprus issue.
• Continuing British efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem.
• Population movements in Cyprus and the fate of the refugees.
• British reactions to the fall of the Caetano regime in Portugal and concern over a possible communist take-over and its impact on the politics of East/West détente.
• Differences within the Atlantic alliance over the handling of revolutionary Portugal, particularly between the Americans and the Europeans.
• American efforts to draw a non-democratic Spain into closer association with NATO.
• The impact of events in Portugal upon British policy towards Spain and the prospects of regime change in Madrid.
• British reactions to the death of Franco and efforts to encourage the transition to a stable democracy.
  
  

Whitehall History Publishing (WHP) co-ordinates the historical publishing programmes of Whitehall departments, including the official history programme and the publications of the Cabinet Office, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence. They are published by Routledge as Whitehall Histories.