In his book, A History of Cyprus, historian Stavros Panteli, has used British archives to uncover the island’s real past
MUCH of what poses as historical fact, especially the official variety, really amounts to little more than hearsay, gossip, and hand-me-down propaganda. But some historical sources are less subjective than others. Historian and lecturer Stavros Panteli has tried to avoid any speculation in his latest book on modern Cypriot history, A History of Cyprus, drawing primarily upon unpublished primary sources from the National Archives in London.
The National Archives is a British governmental organisation created in April 2003 that combined the Public Record Office and the Historical Manuscripts Commission. It is open to the public and claims to be “one of the largest archival collections in the world, spanning 1,000 years of British history, from the Domesday Book to government papers recently released to the public”.
Panteli, who has been researching Cypriot history since 1976, told the Sunday Mail that the Archives possess a wealth of unpublished information that can be accessed by the public, many of which debunk myths about Cypriot history.
“I rely on primary unpublished sources,” Panteli said, “not on secondary sources or on hearsay. However, I am not saying that I do not read other books and I am not demeaning other writers.”
“When someone concentrates on unpublished documents, the possibility is that you will find something that either was not found or written about by someone else,” Panteli said, adding that his plainly-written A History of Cyprus is “trying to give facts but also explode myths”.
One such myth, he claims, is that the Ottomans ‘leased’ Cyprus to the British in 1878.
“A lease in English means that you obtain something – mainly property – for a certain number of weeks, years, whatever,” Panteli said, adding that the Ottomans never offered Cyprus for a limited period of time.
It was also a myth, according to Panteli, to say that England paid ‘rent’ to the Sultan in exchange for the occupation and administration of Cyprus. Panteli said that in exchange the British undertook to offer protection to the Ottomans from the Russians and pay a £92,800 fee per year. But the Ottomans never received the money “because they had defaulted on a loan that England and France gave them in 1855 and so the money received in Cyprus as a tribute was paid into that particular fund.
“The agreements between the Sultan and the UK Ambassador Henry Layard are there at the Public Record Office for everyone to see. In fact, the Sultan was relieved to hear from Laynard that ‘only’ Cyprus was demanded.”
Another myth, Panteli claims, is that the October 1931 outbreak, which led to the burning down of the Government House, was a ‘revolution’.
“A revolution is usually planned, with guns involved and in a united front against an enemy. None of these factors were there.”
Panteli did not want to speculate on myths of the last three decades. “Since the invasion I don’t think that there are many myths that can be exploded or put to rest, at least from the official documents, because we cannot see any documents after 1975.
“With the Freedom of Information Act we will eventually be able to get hold of most of the documents of recent years at well. But as of now 1974 is the latest we have.”
The 1975 documents will be first available for preview at The National Archives this Tuesday and Wednesday, December 21 and 22. “Who knows what we might find?”
Despite the lack of access to recent unpublished documents, Panteli did not shy from expressing his opinions on the Cyprus problem. “We should throw overboard and bury the mentality of a zero-sum game in which a gain for one side implies a loss for the other,” he said adding that the Cyprus problem was “something that can be solved in two minutes if there was goodwill on both sides and if geo-strategic interests were disregarded.”
The historian did not believe that the Greek Cypriot leadership had willingly prevented a solution, but felt they were not doing enough, and suggested the government should, for example, invite Turkish Cypriots to join Greek Cypriot politicians in Europe and in House meetings.
“We need to start working together and try be revolutionaries in the political sense. Greek Cypriots should lead the way to soothe the fears of the Turkish Cypriots, not simply follow the Americans or the British.”
“I believe that Cyprus can accommodate all of us, and not just Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots but Armenians, Maronites, Latins, and Jews,” he said, adding that in August 1957 even the “hardliner Harding” said that there were more problems between the football supporters of Rangers and Celtics than between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
“It is a major document that is available at the Public Record Office and it shows that the two communities can certainly live side by side as they did for many centuries.”
ACCESS TO INFORMATION
Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI), which was passed in the UK in November 2000 and came into effect from January of 2005, the public has a right to access information held by public bodies. Previously, the public had to wait 30 years before accessing all public records. But now the public has the right to access all documents unless they fall within the Act’s exemptions, which includes any information ‘that will damage international relations’.
Historian Stavros Panteli, who used the archive for his new book A History of Cyprus said that in some cases a 30 year window still exists for some contentious and classified documents before access is granted, in a few cases a 50-year window, and in a very small percentage of cases, a 100-year window. Many, he added, are never even released.
“I estimate that the released documents are no more than 20 per cent of the existing documents,” Panteli said. “And quite a lot of documents have certain paragraphs ‘deleted under section 4’.”
Panteli said that since the enactment of the UK Freedom of Information Act there has been “more freedom to see government decisions and actions – government maladministration, if you like. But again, you have to make a specific request which is sometimes granted and sometimes not, especially for classified defence issues or very controversial issues, or issues which they feel should not be made public.”
To apply for unpublished documents – primary sources – one must send a request in writing to The National Archives, which must reply within 20 days on whether the material will be released.
To make a request for materials under the Freedom of Information Act contact in writing: Enquiry Service, The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU or online at: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/contact/form/
