741.90G/125
Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. George V. Allen of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs
Mr. Murray informed the Turkish Ambassador13 of the contents of Mr. Knabenshue’s recent telegrams regarding the difficulties between the British authorities in Iraq and the Iraqi Government, and told him that the Department was instructing Mr. Knabenshue to express the interest of the United States in the situation and our hope that Iraq would not adopt any less cooperative attitude towards Great Britain. Mr. Murray said that the Department was of course aware of Turkey’s great interest in Iraq and of the importance of that country’s location astride the principal communication route to Turkey. Mr. Murray said that he thought the Turkish Government would be interested in learning the action the American Government was taking and that the Turkish authorities might possibly desire to take parallel action.
The Turkish Ambassador said that personally he agreed entirely with the position taken by the United States Government and that he felt confident his Government would desire to take parallel action.
- Mehmet Münir Ertegün.↩