Office of the Historian

811.248/603: Telegram

The Ambassador in Turkey (Steinhardt) to the Secretary of State

Ankara, June 25, 1942—2 p.m.
[Received June 26—1:50 a.m.]

663. My 607, June 15, 7 p.m. Department’s 287, June 19, 5 p.m. and 289, June 20, 4 p.m. The present status of my negotiations with Saraçoğlu is as follows:

1.
The Turkish authorities have withdrawn their formal request that the personnel give their parole. The request will not be renewed during the continuance of the negotiations.
2.
The personnel will immediately receive the freedom of the city of Ankara subject to the understanding that they are not to make any attempt to escape while the negotiations are in progress.
3.
Nothing is to be removed from the planes during the negotiations.
4.
The Turkish Foreign Office is at present engaged in a study of the propriety under international law of accepting the planes as a gift from the Government of the United States for transport purposes and after the elapse of a reasonable period of time requesting the Government of the United States to exchange the 4 B–24’s for 8 A–30’s (see Department’s 267, June 12, 4 p.m.,97 advising that the Munitions Assignments Board has approved 12 A–30 airplanes for Turkey).
5.
Saraçoğlu informed me that some time ago the German Embassy had proposed that the 3 German, 11 Italian, 1 British and several Russian, Greek and French interned aviators all be released and that he had been giving serious consideration to the proposal when the 28 American aviators had suddenly been added to the list, whereupon he had assumed the German proposal would be promptly withdrawn. He learned to his surprise yesterday that the German Embassy has renewed its proposal since the internment of our 28 aviators. He now views the German proposal with suspicion as he believes it to be an attempt to create a precedent in anticipation of increased German forced landings in Turkey resulting from probable extensive Axis aerial operations in the eastern Mediterranean in the near future. I share his suspicions.

As Saraçoğlu has explained to me that he desires to discuss the matter further with the Turkish General Staff the foregoing is merely an interim report. I shall not make any commitment of any kind until the terms have first been submitted to the Department for its approval.

Steinhardt
  1. Not printed.↩