The thesis alms to examine British policy on the future status of Cyprus in the late 1950s. It starts in April 1955 when Sir Anthony Eden became Prime Minister and the EOKA (National Organisatlon of Cypriot Fighters) started its campaign in the island. The thesis ends In February 1959, when a Conference was held in London by Britain, Greece, Turkey, the Greek and the Turkish Cypriots, which agreed to the establishment of an independent Cypriot state. The thesis is primarily concerned with the British policy regarding the diplomatic negotiations on Cyprus. It does not aim to examine the security campaign which was being executed in Cyprus at the same time. The security campaign is touched upon, as far as it influenced the course of diplomatic negotiations. The thesis also examines British Constitutional offers to the Cypriots, but only to the extent that such offers influenced policy on the future status of the island. The policies of Greece, Turkey, the USA, NATO, and of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaderships are examined to the extent that they influenced British policy. The thesis therefore deals primarily with the formulation of British thinking, as this evolved in the Cabinet, the Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, the Chiefs of Staff, the Cyprus (Colonial) Government and other Individuals concerned on the British side.