The abandonment – betrayal for others – of Cyprus took place, without a doubt, on the crucial days between July 15 and 20, 1974. On those days, on the one hand, Makarios asked for the assistance of the "guarantor forces" and on the other else some in Athens attempt to entertain the feeling of an imminent Turkish invasion of the mega-island, in every available way. Greece had to be "convinced" by all means that it cannot fight the Turks in Cyprus. This was essentially supported both by the Junta military leadership that managed the event, and by the political leadership that took over afterwards.
An answer is provided by the defense memorandum of the well-known Athens lawyer, Mr. Georgios Alfantakis, which states the following:
"In the face of all Authority authority:
Extra-judicial Announcement of reprehensible acts of Mr. Georgios Alfantakis, Attorney of Athens, defender of accused officers of the Armed Forces as a result of the latest indictments and prosecutions thereof, in accordance with article 40 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
To the Honorable Mr. Head of the Athens Misdemeanor Prosecutor's Office.
At the behest of my clients, superiors and supreme officers, accused and slandered recently in court, from various directions and as a consequence of their inability to make new public statements, I announce the following:
1) In my previous statements, published only by a morning newspaper of Athens "Eleftheros Kosmos" on 27/10 concerning the Cyprus issue, I asked the Government to tell the truth to the Greek people about the Cyprus tragedy. I also requested that he immediately remove the active senior officers of the Armed Forces, who during the ten days from July 15 to 23, 1974 betrayed Cyprus, within the meaning of article 26 paragraph b of the Military Penal Code, becoming further guilty, as follows he wants to admit to other military crimes.
2) Ten days have passed since then and nothing has been heard in response to these statements, both from the official government side and from the side of those who were clearly visible at the time as accused. They clearly want the obfuscation about the Cyprus issue and the misleading of the Greek people.
3) I promised then, that I would come back with full disclosure if they didn't get attention. I received anonymous threats and pressures to refrain from further action. They created a sense of danger in me, and therefore I now consider it my sacred duty to disclose what may at this moment be said. And in particular :
4) After the action against Makarios, the Chief of the Armed Forces, General Grigorios Bonanos, was warned and sufficiently informed about the impending Turkish invasion, namely:
a) Through repeated revelatory signals, of the assistant Military attaché of the Greek Embassy in London (from July 15 to 19) Major Mr. Athanassios Perdikis.
b) Under the Greek Brigadier General Mr. Sotiriados, serving at the NATO Headquarters in Smyrna, who was informed by the American General - Commander of the NATO Southern European Forces, about the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, within 48 hours, with the order as he informs the Greek Chief of the Armed Forces.
Brigadier General Mr. Sotiriadis, rushed to Greece and informed Mr. Bonano on 18.7.74.
c) According to the GEF of Cyprus, since last year he had been informed in detail by a British senior officer about the Turkish invasion plan, and it was actually implemented by the invaders in the end.
d) Under the Cyprus Naval Command from the 10th of the night of July 19, 1974, through its Commander Vice-Captain Mr. G. Papagiannis, he informed Mr. Bonano about the direction of the Turkish armada towards the coast of Kyrenia.>
e) From the GEEF and the Cyprus Maritime Administration in the early hours of 20.7.1974 with the battle cry "they are at a distance of 20 miles, approaching 15... 10... 5... miles..."
5) Despite this, the Headquarters of the Armed Forces, ignored the warning and did not reinforce the Cypriot National Guard during the five-day period from 15 to 20 July and accepted the replacement of 700 experienced men of ELDYK on 18 to 19 July 1974 under infinite draws ignoring the local Cypriot conditions.
6) The Chiefs of Armed Forces and Army Headquarters, Bonanos and Galatsanos, when, in addition to the above advance notices, they were notified on the morning of 20.7.1974, in spite of the GEF, that Turkish paratroopers were being dropped, and while the Turkish air force had previously bombarded the ELDYK camp, they did not order the Greek Cypriot forces to open fire. They did not order fire, until 08.50 in the morning of 20.7.1974. At 8:50 this morning, the only person who arrived at the operations room of the Armed Forces Headquarters, Lt. Colonel Loukoutos, personally told the Commander of the GEEF Brigadier General Georgitsin by phone "you are striking by all means". Thus they managed to pre-bridge units of the so-called Turkish paratroopers.
7) Also, the first wave of the Turkish withdrawal was hit by the initiative of the Greek Cypriot units of Kyrenia, with the result that the Turks have 2,000 - 3,000 dead and wounded.
8) The Government and the Revolution (see Ioannidis junta) of 25.11.1973 decided and ordered General Conscription on 20.7.1974, which was implemented from 9 am. Circumstances and military data demanded it. General Bonanos, after his staff, on the 11th morning of this day (20.7.1974) revoked the general conscription, for other reasons.
9) On 21.7.1974, Sunday, the National Security Council of the country met under the Chairmanship of the President of the Republic, Mr. Gizikis. The Nation's Leadership during those times. Participated by Mr. Gizikis, Androutsopoulos, Bonanos, Galatsanos, Arapakis, Papanikolaou and the Brigadier General at the time Mr. Dimitrios Ioannidis.
Updated:
a) Under the A/GEN, Vice-Admiral Mr. Arapakis said:“I am off the coast of Kyrenia with two submarines (German) equipped with 14 torpedoes each. I have the 11 Turkish ships of the landing in the periscopes and sights. Logically and mathematically, no Turkish ship can escape. (The commanders of the submarines were well-known admirals of the navy.) I have also taken care of the rest of the Turkish fleet."
b) Under the Chief of Air Force Mr. Papanikolaou saying:"The Phantoms are in Crete and carry bombs - missiles from which the Turkish ships cannot escape".
Two details:The Turks had no means of stopping either the two submarines or the Greek Phantoms because:
aa) The said submarines sailing at a depth of 200 meters and at 21-22 knots per hour under the surface of the sea - a common secret - cannot be marked by the Turkish destroyers. Because their acoustic instruments after the speed of 18 miles did not work.
bb) The Turks were deprived of Phantoms and had no other means of stopping the Greek Phantoms.
cc) Under the Chief of the Army Mr. Galatsanos saying:"at Evros we are ready for artillery shots. The defense of this is completely and mathematically assured. The Turks cannot pass".
10) Decision and order of the Leadership of the Nation (Gizikis):"Mr. Arapaki, on the morning of Monday 22.7.1974, when the main landing of the Turks was about to begin, you sank the Turkish landing craft and other enemy ships gathered in front of the port of Kyrenia. Mr. Papanikolaou, during this time you sent six (6) Phantoms from Crete to Kyrenia (flight duration Crete - Cyprus 9') and hit the Turkish boats. Mr. Galatsane, you started firing artillery at Evron as a distraction. No more aggression against Turkish soil. Mr. Bonane, you supervised the execution of the orders".
11) After this the meeting of the Nation was dissolved without any order to change.
12) On the morning of Monday 22.7.1974:
a) Mr. Arapakis personally ordered the two submarines to return from Cyprus leaving the enemy free and undisturbed to carry out his militarily funny landing.
b) Mr. Papanikolaou stopped the 6 Phantoms in Crete, with the result that the Greek Cypriot forces are mercilessly pounded by the uneducated Turkish air force and so on, addressing lower officers as well, "how can I send a Phantom, the Bulgarians are ready to attack us, they have gathered at the border, we will have a disaster" . While this was completely inaccurate.
c) Mr. Galatsanos did not allow the artillery shots.
d) Mr. Bonanos coordinated the efforts of his three Chiefs of Staff in order to prevent the complete destruction of the Turkish invasion forces through Greek sacrifices.
Some details:
a) The Greek army was never better armed until 20.7.1974.
b) Munitions and materials were abundant despite urgent information to the contrary hostile to the country.
c) The Turks had engaged in aerial combat with each other and had:1) sunk one destroyer, 2) disabled two others, 3) had the damaged destroyers shoot down two of their own aircraft and 4) Greek artillery – not coastal – had disabled two more Turkish destroyers in Kyrenia.
d) The American Deputy Minister Mr. Sisko, whom they refused to accept anymore - 20.7.74 and from there - Mr. Gizikis and Androutsopoulos, as a supervisor of the Turkish-Americans, met on 21.7.74 after the aforementioned meeting of the Nation's Leadership, at least with Mr. Bonano and Arapaki. In the office of Mr. Bonanu - unknown who took him - he was heard to say:"stop your fleet and air force and you and I promise to force the Turks to return to Turkey".
15) Lieutenant General Mr. Lambros Stathopoulos, Commander of the K.Y.P. then, he reported to the leadership, that he had the information that there was a concentration of the Bulgarian army on the Greek-Bulgarian border and of MiG-type aircraft. General Mr. Galatsanou's staff, suspecting the source of the information to be fraudulent, asked the relevant levels of the KYP about it, which denied it. They contacted the 2nd offices of the Greek-Bulgarian border battalions and they not only denied the information of Mr. Stathopoulos, but said that the Bulgarians had recently thinned the border guards. Mr. Stathopoulos had the information from Anglo-American sources.
16) Lieutenant General Mr. Agamemnon Gratsios Commander ASDEN then we met with Mr. Stathopoulon and Papanikolaou on the issue of the Bulgarians, saying before officers on the 21st, 22nd of July:"The Bulgarians will take Thessaloniki from us. Our army can't stand it. The conscripts are disorganized and have no morale". When he was asked by a Major General of the General Staff how he can be said to be inaccuracy when he himself has soldiers in ASDEN when all these were inaccurate. (…) (…) I will wait, I hope not again in vain, and again for government action to confirm the above, for the rendering of justice and the exaltation of the Armed Forces of the Fatherland...".
Cyprus was betrayed and divided because simply the Greek dictators, the military leaders, but also the later political leaders did not want to fight for her. All others are prefaces to sins and nothing else.