740.0011 Moscow/10–2643: Telegram
President Roosevelt to the Secretary of State
The following is the point of view of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff as regards paragraph b and c of Alusna 192114.94
It would not be deemed advisable to push Turkey at this moment into a declaration of war on the side of the Allies since the necessary compensation to the Turks in war material and war supplies including armed forces and ships would divert too much from the Italian front and the proposed Overlord95 operation. However, inquiries could be started on basis of lease by Turkey as a neutral of airbases and transportation facilities.
Sweden should not be asked at this time to make a large system of air bases available to Allied use since the necessary employment of Allied defending forces and Allied war material together with equipment and maintenance supplies and personnel would cause too great a diversion from Overlord operations. This would not debar later consideration of seeking lesser air bases from Sweden along the line of those recently obtained in the Azores.96
- Not printed: reference is to the telegram sent by Secretary Hull to President Roosevelt from Moscow on October 19 containing the text of the Soviet proposals regarding point 1 of the Agenda.↩
- Code name for the cross-Channel invasion of France.↩
- See vol. ii, section under Portugal entitled “Interest of the United States in obtaining water-port and airport facilities in the Azores.”↩