711.67/104: Telegram
The Minister Resident in Iraq (Knabenshue) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 18—3:30 a.m.]
120. Referring to MacMurray’s telegram to the Department, 220, December 14. The Turkish Minister read to me yesterday his entire dossier on the subject. It was evident that his Government had been inclined to give too much credence to the assurances of the Iraqi Minister. In his report of 2 days ago he made it clear to his Government that it had been misinformed by the Iraqi Minister at Ankara as to the true situation in Baghdad in respect to strained Anglo-Iraqi relations, pointing out that the instruction sent to Ankara by the Iraqi Minister for Foreign Affairs (which the Turkish Minister had seen) did not conform to what had been communicated by the Iraqi Minister to the Turkish Minister for Foreign Affairs and which was for the most part untrue or misleading. For instance the Iraqi Minister told the Turkish Minister for Foreign Affairs that in consequence of the Iraqi Government’s vigorous representations direct to Lord Halifax the British Ambassador at Baghdad apologized to the Iraqi Prime Minister. That was not true for I saw Lord Halifax’s telegram sent to the British Ambassador as reported in my telegram 115, December 5, and I know that the Ambassador has not apologized. The Turkish Minister suspects that the Iraqi Minister must have received private instructions from his brother the Iraqi Prime Minister and he intimated as much to his Government. In a telegram received December 16 by the Turkish Minister it appeared that the Turkish Government now appreciates this peculiar state of affairs and being convinced that in consequence of all that had transpired there is now no likelihood of this Government resuming relations with Germany and therefore considers it unnecessary to do anything further in the matter.
Repeated to Ankara.