867.24/505
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Chief of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs (Alling)
The Minister35 called at his request to discuss certain problems, particularly those arising out of the Embassy’s endeavors to obtain Lend-Lease and other supplies. The Minister said that from his observations the situation was almost hopeless. If shipping space was available to carry certain goods, then it was impossible to obtain a navicert from the British. If a navicert was obtained, then they were met with the problem of no shipping space, and if both of these hurdles were overcome, as they were in a few instances, they were then confronted with the statement that the port at Basra was congested and therefore the goods could not be shipped.
The Minister said he thought the situation could be greatly improved if it were possible for his Government to buy a small ship now under the Panamanian flag. He said he had a list of five or six such vessels which he thought might be available, and he urged that the State Department grant permission for the purchase of one of these by the Turkish Government.
I told the Minister that the Department had no jurisdiction over such matters and that any decision would have to be made by the War Shipping Administration. I told him that I did not need to stress the great shortage of shipping at this time. The Minister said he realized this, but in his own opinion nothing could have a greater effect upon his Government or the Turkish public than the knowledge that, despite this shortage, we were willing to assist the Turks to that extent.
I asked the Minister what he proposed to carry in this vessel if its purchase is approved. He said they would take Lend-Lease and other supplies from the United States to Turkey through the Mediterranean. [Page 707] I asked him what they would propose to bring back, and he said he did not exclude the possibility of bringing back chrome ore, although he felt strongly that we should not make it a condition that such ore be carried as a quid pro quo for agreeing to the transfer of the ship from Panamanian to Turkish registry.
The Minister went on to point out that he hoped very much we could take some favorable action in this matter and thus avoid the necessity of his Government having to approach the Rumanians or others with a view to obtaining the shipping which was so vital to Turkish economy. I told the Minister that I was not optimistic that the arrangement which he proposed could be worked out in view of the serious shipping situation, but that we should be glad to explore the possibilities and let him know as soon as we had done so.
- The Turkish Minister, Mehmet Ali Sevki Alhan.↩