390D.11/143
The Chargé in Turkey ( Kelley ) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 2.]
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the Department’s instruction No. 208 of February 15, 1938, instructing me to as [Page 1106] certain whether the Turkish Government would be willing to conclude an agreement with the United States for the purpose of regularizing the status of naturalized American citizens who were formerly Ottoman subjects and who are natives of territories detached from the former Ottoman Empire, and to make the following report to the Department of the action thus far taken by the Embassy and of the present status of the matter.
Acting under instructions from me, an officer of the Embassy called on the Chief of the Bureau of Claims and Consular Affairs in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs on March 11, and acquainted him with the Department’s desire to conclude such an agreement and with the considerations which led the Department to make a proposal of this nature at the present time. A memorandum of the conversation with Mr. Ayas71 is enclosed for the Department’s information. It will be observed that Mr. Ayaş already had an inkling of the proposed agreement and felt able to give qualified assurances that some agreement such as that proposed by the Department could be concluded. He availed himself of the opportunity thus occasioned to explain in some detail Turkey’s position with regard to former Ottoman subjects, natives of territories detached from the Empire, who are resident outside of Turkey.
On the following day, during the course of an informal conversation with an officer of the Embassy, Mr. Ayaş stated that as our proposal was principally of a political nature it had been transferred to the First Department of the Foreign Office.
On March 17, I mentioned the proposed agreement to the Foreign Minister during the course of a conversation at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (my telegram No. 12 of March 17, 7 p.m.71). Dr. Aras thought that a settlement along the lines desired by the Department was quite possible, and said that he would give the matter his personal attention. It was evident from his remarks that the Turkish Government has been giving consideration to the ways and means of definitely settling the status of former Ottoman subjects who are natives of territories detached from the Ottoman Empire and who are technically Turkish citizens.
A few days later, on March 21, I inquired of the Director of the First Department with regard to the status of the matter and was told that Dr. Aras had discussed our proposal with him and that he believed that he would soon be in a position to address to us a formal reply. Subsequently, on March 29, in response to further inquiry by me, he expressed the opinion that it would be found possible to conclude an [Page 1107] agreement along the lines desired by the Department, but certain studies, in particular those being undertaken by the legal authorities, would have to be completed before the Foreign Office could take any action in the matter.
The nature of these studies were explained to me on April 2, when I had an interview with the Foreign Minister prior to his departure for Athens and Cairo. At that time, as reported to the Department by my telegram No. 17 of April 2, 4 p.m.,72 Dr. Aras stated that two studies relating to this matter were in progress. The first consisted of a study of Turkish nationality laws with a view to ascertaining the relative feasibility of concluding an exchange of notes along the lines proposed, as compared with the desirability of accomplishing the desired end by some other arrangement. In this respect he mentioned particularly provisions of Turkish law which permit the Turkish Government to deprive of Turkish nationality persons residing abroad who have not registered at a Turkish Consulate for more than five years. He felt that perhaps if the powers thus vested in the Government were invoked no need would exist for an exchange of notes such as is contemplated by the Department.
The second study, the Foreign Minister said, had to do with the status of the property of persons to whose allegiance the Turkish Government would relinquish claim. In this regard, he explained that his Government wished to be certain that in the future no controversial questions concerning the property rights of the persons affected would arise. In concluding this conversation, Dr. Aras stated that he anticipated that his Government’s studies would be completed by the time he returned to Ankara early in May, at which time he would advise me of the considered views of the Turkish Government.
Throughout the conversations which have been held between members of the Embassy and of the Turkish Ministry for Foreign Affairs it has been apparent that the Turkish Government, which is keenly desirous of settling the question of the status of natives of detached territories of the former Ottoman Empire who are now technically Turkish citizens, is much interested in and sympathetic to the Department’s proposal. From the atmosphere which has prevailed during these conversations and from the informal assurances which have been forthcoming, the Embassy believes that some definite arrangement will eventually be reached to regularize the status of the persons in question and that it is not unlikely that the means chosen will involve an exchange of notes similar to that proposed by the Department.
Respectfully yours,