740.0011 European War 1939/8063: Telegram

The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Steinhardt) to the Secretary of State

202. The Turkish Ambassador told me last night that in recent conversations with Soviet officials they had intimated to him that in the event of a German occupation of Bulgaria and Greece the Soviet attitude would be “the same as in the case of the German occupation of Rumania”.

The Ambassador expressed the opinion that the Turks would not enter Thrace in the event of a German occupation but would defend themselves if attacked.

Steinhardt