Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, 1941, The British Commonwealth; The Near East and Africa, Volume III

740.0011 European War 1939/13013

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Welles)

[Washington,] June 15, 1941.

The British Ambassador called to see me this morning. Lord Halifax gave me to read a telegram he had received from his Foreign Office indicating that the Turkish Government was about to sign a so-called nonaggression pact with Germany.⁵⁶ The British Government asked most urgently that the American Ambassador in Ankara indicate to the Turkish Government what a disastrous effect upon American public opinion this step would involve.

I said that I would be very glad to send a telegram in that sense at once.

The Ambassador subsequently sent me further telegrams he had received from his Government on this subject which gave more detailed information with regard to the negotiations in progress between Turkey and Germany.

S[umner] W[elles]

56. See aide-mémoire, infra.