6 DECEMBER 1957, Page 5

An Open Letter

to Sir Hugh Foot

DEAR SIR HUGH,

So you have arrived in Cyprus. The purpose of this letter is (1) to urge you to take immediate action to restore confidence and good will in the island; and (2) to beg you to restore British leadership, On my first point. You left this country amid a spate of schemes for the long-term settlement of the Cyprus problem. There are the Labour Party Proposals which, as published last week, I find sensible and fair, and there are proposals such as Mr. Peter Benenson made in the last issue of the Spectator, which may provide a basis for dis- cussion. This week the United Nations, and next week the NATO Powers take it upon themselves to pronounce their opinions. But what is to be done meanwhile? Unless you act in the next two or three weeks to stop the deterioration that has set in again, the position in the island will soon be so unmanageable that no Government will have a chance to put any of these plans into operation.

What should you do? I suggest : (1) announce that Archbishop Makarios is free to return if he Wishes. Undoubtedly his supporters would indulge in wild rejoicing as he touched down on Cyprus soil. Let them rejoice. Make no extraordinary Plans for official resumption of negotiations with him. But meet him and discuss problems quietly, as unostentatiously as possible; (2) announce that You intend immediately to start cutting down the Emergency Regulations provided you get the necessary co-operation; (3) let the Cyprus Govern- ment officials know that you are determined to cut through their barbed-wire mentality; (4) begin to try out more Cypriots with your confidence. Throw them on to their own responsibility occa- sionally. Admittedly the island does not -appear to wel- come you. But this is because constitutionally you are the representative of a Government which they do not trust. By your actions we expect you to prove them wrong. But to my second point : I urge you to restore British initiative on the Cyprus issue. To my mind, the debates in New York and in Paris are in them- selves evidence of the degree to which the British Government has relinquished its prerogatives and responsibility over Cyprus. Let us cut away the overgrowth of UN and NATO and get back to the basic fact that this is a British question. Admitted it is an international problem, too, and that its solution must affect the pattern of the Eastern Mediterranean. But the introduction of NATO or UN administration or forces must only complicate and delay where simplification and speed are needed. Further, at this stage, we in Britain are fully cognisant of the aims and needs of the.various parties concerned. It would there- fore be appropriate if at this moment we were to lay down our own proposals calculated to meet all sides. Thus : (1) a spell of self-government for Cyprus, to be followed by (2) self-determination after a reasonable period; (3) guarantees on all basic issues (such as land and religion and a fair proportion of government office) to the Turkish minority; (4) the maintenance of a British military and air force base on the island. We should further make it clear that the notion of partition is dead; (5) the retention of a British radio station beamed to cover the important area of the Middle East and the Iron Curtain countries.

Submitted in the early future, I consider' that proposals of this kind would not only restore British initiative but would prepare the ground for agreement in other directions. Fortunately, in view of our recent reallocation of defence bases, we can now afford strategically to take this political action—while, politically, it is essential that we do so.

So far as you personally are concerned, may I suggest that you would not have accepted this appointment unless you had been assured that you would have room for your own kind of action? May I further suggest that, should you find yourself restricted by the British Government, you should not hesitate to resign in protest? There is always a need for a man of your intellect and integrity in the House of Commons.

Yours sincerely,