740.0011 European War 1939/10689: Telegram
The Ambassador in Turkey (MacMurray) to the Secretary of State
[Received 10:14 p.m.]
132. Outlining the situation from the viewpoint of the Turkish Government the Secretary General of the Foreign Office yesterday remarked that it had discounted the probability that the British would have a bad time of it this spring and summer and that their recent setbacks in Greece and North Africa did not impair Turkish confidence in their ability to hold out and turn the tide next year. He admitted, however, that the events of the past month had increased the potential danger to this country: from Dedeagatch as well as the captured Greek islands the Germans were now in a position not only to exercise a negative control over the Straits but to blockade Turkey’s whole Aegean coast; and that in combination with the blocking of traffic over the Baghdad line by the events in Iraq this meant that Turkey could no longer count on any regular line of supply for necessary importations from either the United States or the British Empire and must therefore rely upon very inadequate previous accumulations.
2. He went on to say that despite this unfavorable situation his Government was prepared to face realistically whichever of the various alternatives Von Papen might present on his return (supposedly the 7th). He might perhaps ask that Turkey renounce or dilute its alliance with Great Britain or enter into some agreement which would put this country under bonds to Germany or even open Turkish territory to the passage of German troops.
Numan said that his Government could not entertain any of these proposals. If, however, the Germans were to propose any arrangement whereby Turkey would maintain a position of “neutrality” that implied no impairment of its territorial integrity and political sovereignty, his Government would be prepared to lend a cautious ear to any concrete proposals. The implication of his remarks was that while prepared to go a long way in “appeasing” the Germans the Turks nevertheless intend to make a stand at the point where Germany might ask for the passage of troops or make any other demand incompatible with the complete sovereignty of this country.
3. With regard to Soviet Russia he reaffirmed that (as reported in my 104, April 22, 4 p.m.53) no initiative has been taken by either side [Page 850] towards bringing about closer relations. He was not disposed to give credence to the persistent reports that Germany is about to attack Russia.
4. He said that this Government is in close touch with that of Iran and has indeed considerable influence with it; he is confident that that Government is maintaining a correct neutrality and that there is no danger of that country’s aligning itself with Germany.
- Not printed.↩