811.2367/12: Telegram

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

1388. I discussed with the Minister for Foreign Affairs30 yesterday the status of the various American aviators interned in Turkey after the Ploesti raid.31 I suggested to him that the survivors of the crew of the Liberator which crashed off the coast and who were rescued by the Turkish coast guard be regarded as “shipwrecked mariners” and be released, and that all of the wounded aviators (some of whose wounds are very light) be regarded as unfit for further military service and be released and that subsequently the Turkish General Staff be instructed not to interpose too many barriers in the path of attempted escapes by others. Numan replied that he would give serious consideration to the release of the “shipwrecked mariners” and the wounded, and that he would suggest to the General Staff that they should not take “exceptional measures” to prevent escapes but that we must not embarrass him by “too many escapes” in the immediate future and particularly while the internment of the planes and crews was in the public eye. He added that “unfortunately” there were no German or Italian internees whose release could constitute a basis for exchange. He agreed to the immediate transfer of all the wounded to the American hospital in Istanbul.

Please inform General Arnold of foregoing.

Steinhardt
  1. Numan Menemencioglu.
  2. The August 1 air raid on the oil refineries at Ploesti in Roumania; certain telegrams from the Ambassador in Turkey during the period August 2–5 had reported the crash-landings of several American aircraft in Turkish Thrace and in the Mediterranean.