740.0011 European War 1939/7–1044
The Soviet Embassy to the Department of State
Aide-Mémoire
On May 27, Numan Menemencioğlu has transmitted through Soviet Ambassador to Turkey S. A. Vinogradov in an oral form a proposal of the Turkish Government to the Soviet Government to establish with us a closer political cooperation which could be vested in the form of an agreement. In this agreement would be determined the community of interests of both countries in the guarantee of their safety in certain of interest to them zones, in particular on the Balkans, and would contain a statement that the U.S.S.R. and Turkey will in the closest way politically cooperate with each other in the mentioned zones and will constantly consult each other on all questions touching their common interests.
On June 5, Mr. Vinogradov orally informed Mr. Menemencioğlu that, if Turkey wishes to give a more friendly and closer character to its relations with the U.S.S.R., the Soviet Government would be ready to consider appropriate proposals. However, under the conditions, when the Balkans are at present in the hands of Germany, which is waging war against the U.S.S.R. and with which Turkey is not in a state of war but is bound with a friendship treaty and is rendering her economic aid, the proposed by the Turkish Government political cooperation and consultation in respect to the Balkans is losing its signification without Turkey basically changing its relations with [Page 876] Germany. Therefore, if Turkey is striving toward the mentioned agreement with the U.S.S.R. the only way to such an agreement is immediate and complete break of relations of Turkey with Germany and entrance into war against Germany on the side of the Allies. Besides the Soviet Government has stressed, that such an agreement would also be in the interests of the Allies.
In regard to that the Government of the United States was informed on June 28 by the People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs, V. M. Molotov, through the American Ambassador in Moscow, Mr. W. A. Harriman.
In addition to that information the Soviet Government considers it necessary to inform of the following.
On June 27, the Turkish Government has informed through Soviet Ambassador S. A. Vinogradov, in answer to the statement of the Soviet Government of June 5, that it wishes to give the Soviet-Turkish relations a more friendly character. The Turkish Government proposed to solemnly confirm the friendly character of the connections between the U.S.S.R. and Turkey, for instance through a protocol about the pre-term prolongation of acts, mentioned in the protocol of November 7, 193561 or through a new independent document. As in respect to the Soviet statement of June 5, that the only way to Soviet-Turkish cooperation, proposed by the Turkish Government, is an immediate complete break of relations with Germany and entrance of Turkey into war against Hitlerite Germany on the side of the Allies, the Turkish Government has not given a reply to the point, having informed that this question is under consideration.
To this statement of the Turkish Government, the Soviet Government has sent on July 3, 1944, through the U.S.S.R. Ambassador to Turkey S. A. Vinogradov, its reply to the Turkish Government in which it has stated that it will take into consideration the reply of the Turkish Government, but deems it necessary to draw its attention to the fact that, making on July [June?] 5, 1944 its statement, the Soviet Government proceeded from the fact that the decision of the Turkish Government on this question, as connected with the shortening of the duration of war, should not be postponed any longer. The Soviet Government has reminded also that on the part of the Turkish Government there has been lost a considerable amount of time from the moment, when, already at the end of 1943, the Governments of Great Britain, the U.S.S.R. and the United States, for the purpose of shortening the duration of the war made the Turkish Government a proposal to break with Germany and enter into war against Hitlerite [Page 877] Germany on the side of the Allies, but this proposal was declined by the Turkish Government. As regards the proposal of the Turkish Government to limit itself to solemn confirmation of the friendly character of Soviet-Turkish relations by way of pre-term prolongation of acts, mentioned in the protocol of November 7, 1935, or by way of some new similar declarative statement, the Soviet Government has stated that this proposal does not answer the purpose of shortening the duration of war in which are interested the fighting against Hitlerite Germany countries as well as all freedom-loving nations, and that such declarations of a general character cannot substitute for actions directed against Hitlerite Germany, the carrying out which by Turkey can, under present conditions, but serve as basis for close friendly political cooperation between the U.S.S.R. and Turkey, as it was stated in the reply of the Soviet Government of June 5.
From the information of the Soviet Government in respect to Soviet-Turkish negotiations, as previously transmitted to the Government of the United States, as well as that communicated in this Aide-Mémoire, can be seen that the Soviet position in these negotiations fully corresponds the agreement reached in respect to Turkey at the end of 1943 at the Moscow Conference and confirmed at the Teheran Conference of the heads of the Governments of Great Britain, the U.S.S.R. and the United States. The Soviet Government consistently carries out in respect to Turkey this agreed upon with the British and American Governments policy, although the Turkish Government has, to a considerable extent, already lost time for accepting the proposal in regard to a break with Germany and entering into war against Germany on the side of the Allies.
About the stated above, its negotiations with the Turkish Government and about its position in these negotiations the Soviet Government has timely informed the British Government, on the part of which, there were no objections in respect to the stated Soviet position.
In its Aide-Mémoire, directed to the British Government on July 8, 1944, the Soviet Government has pointed out that, in spite of the fact that there were no objections on the part of the Government of Great Britain against the Soviet position, the British Government already at the end of June has made a new proposal to the Turkish Government. In this proposal it has found it possible to depart from its former position, agreed upon between Great Britain, the U.S.S.R. and the United States, and already does not insist on the immediate entrance of Turkey into war against Germany as it was agreed upon between the three Governments. In this Aide-Mémoire the Soviet Government has also pointed out that the British Government has made its new proposal in Ankara on June 30 without a preliminary congruence with the Soviet Government, although the Soviet Government has already given its reply to the British Government on [Page 878] June 2962 in Moscow on the given question of June 25. The Soviet Government has brought to the attention of the British Government the stated above circumstances.
The Soviet Government considers it necessary to inform the Government of the United States in regard to the above-stated.
- Protocol prolonging the Treaty of Friendship and Neutrality of December 17, 1925, the Protocols of Prolongation of December 17, 1929, and October 30, 1931, and the Naval Protocol of March 7, 1931; it was signed at Ankara, November 7, 1935, League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. clxxix, p. 127.↩
- See telegram 2374, June 30, 4 p.m., from Moscow, p. 865.↩