868.014/5–1645
The British Embassy to the Department of State
Paraphrase of Telegram From Foreign Office to H. M. Ambassador, Washington, Dated May 14, 1945
His Majesty’s Ambassador Ankara reports that Turkish Government as a result of recent press reports regarding Greek claims to the Dodecanese have expressed informally their wish to be consulted about disposal of these islands in view of their importance to Turkey.
- 2.
- Acting Secretary General told Counsellor that though Turkey was greatly concerned about the disposal of all the Dodecanese, they were chiefly concerned with the group of five Lervis [Leros?], Calymnes, Cos, Nisiros and Symi) which were more or less in Turkish territorial waters and which bore strongly on Turkish security. There were Turkish populations in Rhodes and other islands but these were not of the same importance. Castellorizo really belonged to Turkey [Page 313] who had handed it over to Italy in 1923.1 He hoped the whole question could be discussed and settled on basis of close Anglo-Turkish and Anglo-Greek friendship.
- 3.
- You may inform State Department in confidence.
Washington
, May 16,
1945.
- See article 15, Treaty of Peace signed at Lausanne, July 24, 1923, League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. xxviii, pp. 13, 23. For documentation regarding the Lausanne Conference, see Foreign Relations, 1923, vol. ii, pp. 879 ff.↩