740.0011 European War 1939/7–2344: Telegram
The Chargé in Turkey (Kelley) to the Secretary of State
[Received 7:48 p.m.]
1348. The British Ambassador conveyed to the Prime Minister yesterday evening the reply of the British Government in the matter of the rupture by Turkey of diplomatic and economic relations with Germany. I am sending you in my immediately following telegram the text of the statement of the British Government’s position made to the Prime Minister by Hugessen.
The Prime Minister, after studying the statement carefully, inquired as to the meaning of the sentence “If Turkey breaks off relations with Germany, Turkey will, in the opinion of His Majesty’s [Page 888] Government, have clarified her policy which had become obscure and confused by recent events.” There was considerable discussion on this point and the Prime Minister reverted to it several times in the course of the conversation. He eventually said that what he wanted to know was whether the British Government considered the alliance in full force. Hugessen offered to put at once this question to his Government but the Prime Minister requested him not to do so for the moment.
After Hugessen explained that his Government did not like the exchange of notes proposed by the Turk Government and preferred to incorporate the assurances desired by the Turk Government in an oral declaration, the Prime Minister made no further reference to a written exchange of notes.
The Prime Minister said that it would be difficult to take immediate action in view of the fact that most of the members of the Cabinet had left Ankara and the Grand National Assembly would not meet again before 10 days. However, he would discuss the matter with the President and his colleagues with a view to seeing what could be done in the circumstances to expedite action as desired by the British Government.
I shall call on the Prime Minister with a view to supporting the position taken by the British Government as soon as the Department’s 647, July 20, the latter part of which was so badly garbled that I have had to request that it be repeated, has been decoded.