867.24/619
Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, by Mr. George V. Allen of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs
Mr. May64 telephoned today to report that he and Colonel Baird, Chief of the Liaison Branch, International Division, Service of Supply, [Page 1091] War Department, had just returned from the Turkish Embassy, where Colonel Baird had informed the Turkish Military Attaché65 of the decision that henceforth the British military authorities in Washington would present the bids for Turkish military requirements before the Munitions Assignments Board. Mr. May and Colonel Baird were accompanied by Mr. Powell, OLLA.66 The Turkish officials present, in addition to the Military Attaché, were the Turkish Air Attaché67 and the Chief of the Turkish Supply Mission in the United States, Mr. Eranil.
Mr. May said that although the meeting was conducted on a plane of entire cordiality, the news was received by the Turks as a “stunning blow”. After a few minutes of discussion the Air Attaché requested permission to ask the Turkish Ambassador whether he had received any information concerning the decision. A few minutes later he returned to say that the Ambassador had not had any intimation of the decision and that the news had been a tremendous shock to him. The Air Attaché, who was the most excitable of the three Turkish officials present, expressed the view that the Turkish Government should immediately inform both the British and American Governments that Turkey henceforth desired no assistance from either the United States or Great Britain. The American representatives, aided by the two other Turkish officials, are said to have succeeded in calming him down. However, Mr. Eranil, a sober-minded Turkish engineer, expressed complete dismay. He said arrangements had just been completed for the setting up of a considerable office in Washington to cooperate with the American authorities in connection with the institution of direct American-Turkish Lend-Lease relations. He pointed out that a building had recently been acquired and that personnel was en route from Turkey. He expressed the view that the entire project should be canceled. Mr. May thinks that he was able to dissuade him from this rash action. Mr. May pointed out that the Turkish authorities would need a considerable organization in Washington to work with the British in preparing Turkish military requirements, and that the office would also be useful in handling matters direct with the American authorities which did not relate to the Munitions Assignments Board.
Mr. May said that the Turkish Military Attaché expressed the firm conviction that the decision to permit Great Britain to retain control of American Lend-Lease munitions to Turkey had resulted from a commitment by Great Britain to “another Ally” (Russia) to keep Turkey weak. The Attaché declared that following the Russian [Page 1092] attack on Poland during the winter of 1939–40, the Turkish Government was convinced that Russia intended to attack Turkey from the Caucasus and that if Turkey had shown any signs of weakness at that time, Turkey would have suffered the same fate of invading armies as had Poland. He said that in order to prevent the attack, large movements of Turkish troops to the Caucasus frontier had been necessary. Continuously since that time Russia had striven to keep Turkey weak, and Great Britain had been forced to concede to Russian insistence in this regard. He felt confident that British insistence upon controlling American Lend-Lease shipments to Turkey was a result of this agreement.
Mr. Allen requested Mr. May to let the Department have a full report of his conversations.