“The rapid deterioration of the situation in Cyprus,” writes the front page of Kathimerini, August 8, 1964. And he continues: “Cypriot yesterday suddenly presented a sharp deterioration. And the crisis came to a head when the Cypriot government and the United Nations announced that Turkish warplanes had attacked the port city and Greek Cypriot villages. The armed forces of Greece and Cyprus were immediately put on alert. Ankara’s tough stance since yesterday morning, the ongoing fighting on the peninsula and the provocative actions of the Turks have created an explosive situation that by no means excludes a more general fire and armed conflicts between Greece and Turkey.

This was preceded by the deployment of a Greek Cypriot division, a move that provoked a fierce reaction from the Turkish Cypriots and rekindled the inter-communal conflicts that had taken place during the Bloody Christmas of 1963. And again the situation is extremely critical: “On the threshold of war, he gave the country a governorate that was in constant communication with Nicosia, which is also the most likely source of ignition. conflict, if the reason for this is not the realization, after all, the long-standing threat of a Turkish invasion, ”the newspaper comments.

Napalm in Paphos

Military conflicts are escalating in the Mansura-Kokkinon area under the leadership of the commander of the Greek Cypriot forces, General G. Griva. Turkey reacts sharply. On August 8, Turkish warplanes bombarded the Paphos area with napalm, and six Turkish warships invaded the territorial waters of Cyprus. The next day’s newspaper stated: “Turkish fighters, which reappeared yesterday in Cyprus, finally intervened in the ongoing operations and struck at the positions of the Greek Cypriot troops fighting in spite of the village of Kokkina. The intervention of the Turkish Air Force testifies to the degree of Turkish anxiety about the imminent occupation of the vital village, which is one of the last strongholds of Turkish resistance. However, at the same time, this causes a further aggravation of the crisis.”