740.0011 European War 1939/7–2544: Telegram
The Chargé in Turkey (Kelley) to the Secretary of State
[Received 11:34 p.m.]
1363. The following is a translation of the reply of the Turkish Government to the British Government’s communications of July 22:
“The Turkish Government has taken cognizance of the two written communications under date of July 22 which His Majesty’s Ambassador, on behalf of his Government delivered to the Minister for Foreign Affairs concerning the rupture by Turkey of her economic and diplomatic relations with Germany, in accordance with the request which was made in this sense by His Majesty’s Government under date of June 20, 1944.
“After a careful study of these two documents, the Turkish Government has found itself in agreement with the contents of the documents, and has decided, in accordance with the terms of the constitution, to submit to the Grand National Assembly for approval on August 2, 1944, the date of the next meeting of the Grand National Assembly which is in recess until that date, the question of the rupture of Turkey’s economic and diplomatic relations with Germany under the British-Turkish Alliance.
“The Turkish Government has noted with a certain regret that for the second time, in a document emanating from His Majesty’s Embassy, the words ‘obscure’ and ‘confusing’ are used to characterize recent Turkish policy. The Turkish Government, conscious of having pursued a clear and clean-cut policy, and which, in spite of all vicissitudes, has never deviated from the line of its policy fixed for many years, considers itself entitled to point out the injustice of this characterization and to hope that the happier and more appropriate terms which have often been used in British documents and statements will be preferred to describe Turkey’s policy.”