740.0011 European War 1939/11238: Telegram
The Ambassador in Turkey (MacMurray) to the Secretary of State
[Received 10:51 p.m.]
166. Supplementing my 159, May 21. Upon more detailed inquiry Turkish General Staff has now given Military Attaché information presenting some discrepancies with that referred to in second sentence of my 155, May 18. They now say there were shipped May 11 from Aleppo to Tilizvan (in Syrian territory near Nusaybin) 60 cars containing horses and war materials and undetermined number of men. British profess to have information that this shipment made up four trains which, in addition to sealed cars containing unidentified war materials, carried 12 officers and 370 men, 70 horses and 12 guns. Turks and British alike now state that original report of Germans in civilian clothes seems to have been erroneous and that ascription of Mosul as destination was plausible presumption but not known fact.
Staff reports from April 11 to date on movements of French military supplies over railroad show besides this shipment only relatively small movements of transport material in both directions. Staff has no information as to possible movements of troops and supplies over highways in Syria.