No ‘Johnson letter’ today

As the political crisis in Cyprus escalated in 1964, Turkey's National Security Council decided that it would invade the island and ordered preparatory actions. The United States immediately intervened and on June 5, 1964, president Lyndon B. Johnson sent a letter to Turkish premier Ismet Inonu to prevent the invasion. The tone of this particular letter, known since as the "Johnson letter," stressed the consequences such an action could have for Turkey, and forced Ankara's military and political leadership to abort the plan.

The most important US warning was that this war could trigger the Soviet Union's intervention in Turkey and that NATO would be reluctant to defend the country in such a case. The military landing was aborted, but US-Turkish relations were damaged.

The US never since tried to tame Turkish adventurism with a similar move; not in the eventual...