711.00111 Unlawful Shipments/211: Telegram
The Ambassador in Turkey (MacMurray) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 20—9:50 a.m.]
26. Department’s 8, May 14, 11 a.m.; and Embassy’s 35, May 18, 5 p.m.24 Secretary General of Foreign Office to whom photostat copies of documents were handed today inquires whether we have any objection to their publication. He stated that they are obvious forgeries pointing out that seals are not those used by Turkish Government, signatures not those of persons they purport to be, et cetera. He said [Page 351] that on three different occasions recently General Franco had inquired of Turkish Government whether planes purporting to be consigned to the Turkish Government found on ships examined by insurgents were actually destined for the Turkish Government (in one instance it was a case of 50 planes on a Norwegian vessel presumably coming from America).
Referring to news reports that planes purchased in America for Turkey had been shipped to a foreign country by way of Canada official Turkish news agency published today statement to the effect that Turkish Government had placed all orders for planes in the United States only through Turkish Embassy in Washington, that no organization or person was authorized to act for Turkey and that all statements to the contrary were false.
- Neither printed.↩