Discussions regarding proposed Lend-Lease agreement between the United States and Turkey ⁹¹

^91. For previous correspondence, see Foreign Relations, 1943, vol. iv, pp. 1087 ff.

[Negotiations for a preliminary lend-lease agreement between the United States and Turkey languished during the first four months of 1944, due to political differences that arose early in the year between the British and Turkish Governments. In this situation, American and British policy was closely coordinated, and lend-lease shipments to Turkey of American origin were discontinued. (For correspondence regarding this subject, see pages 814 ff.)

Though the Anglo-Turkish differences were clarified favorably in April and May, there was further delay in the lend-lease negotiations between the United States and Turkey because of the rise of a constitutional question within the United States Government. This involved a difference of opinion between Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg, ranking Republican member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the Department of State, as to the extent of the treaty-making powers of the executive branch in the post-war implementation of article VII of the various lend-lease agreements. This question, arising in May, was resolved on August 8 and 9 by an exchange of letters (not printed), between the Acting Secretary of State, Edward R. Stettinius, Jr., and Senator Vandenberg, in which the Department undertook to add in the exchange of notes proposed with each agreement then pending a fourth article, as follows: “It is, of course, understood that in the implementation of the provisions of the agreement each Government will act in accordance with its own constitutional procedures.”

This inclusion, along with certain minor technical changes, was communicated to the Ambassador in Turkey, Laurence A. Steinhardt, in instruction 460, August 17 (not printed), and the Ambassador was directed to secure the signing of the agreement “as soon as possible”.]

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