Foreign Relations of the United States, 1948, Western Europe, Volume III

840.20/12–1448

Memorandum by the Director of the Office of Near Eastern and African Affairs (Satterthwaite) to the Under Secretary of State (Lovett)

top secret

[Washington,] December 14, 1948.

Problem

On November 25, the Turkish [Acting] Foreign Minister handed to Ambassador Wadsworth a memorandum stating the. Turkish desire to be included in the anticipated North Atlantic Pact. (See telegram No. 839 from Ankara, Tab A.¹) A similar memorandum was handed to the British Ambassador. It is now necessary to instruct our Ambassador as to the reply he should make.

Background

You will of course recall that the Turkish Government has made repeated approaches to us on this general subject. However, this is the first time that a direct request has been made for inclusion of Turkey in any specific security arrangement, and it is also the first time that the Turkish Government has reduced its views to writing. On at least one previous occasion when Turkish association with the Western European bloc was suggested, you told the Turkish Ambassador that it would be up to the European nations themselves to pass upon the question, but that you thought it would be very difficult to consider Turkey as belonging to the Western European region and therefore difficult for the United States to associate itself with a Western European regional group which also included Turkey. You emphasized the provisions of the “Vandenberg Resolution” of June 11, 1948.²

The, Greek Ambassador has recently approached the Department informally³ with regard to the possible inclusion Mediterranean countries, such as Greece and Turkey, in the North Atlantic Pact. He was told that no serious consideration had been given to such a move and that it was doubtful that the United States Government would be prepared to consider any broadening of the base of the proposed arrangement at this early stage. He was also told that the United States was not prepared at this time to express an opinion on the desirability of forming an eastern Mediterranean Woe as a counterpart to the Western European group.

Discussion

It is fully recognized by all competent offices of the Department that Turkey and other states similarly situated must not be left in an exposed position, politically and militarily, through any apparently exclusive concentration of the United States on the defense of Western Europe. Much attention has been given to the problem of making clear to the world that our contemplated association with the North Atlantic states will not mean that we have a lesser interest in supporting the independence of other exposed nations. It is agreed that measures to achieve this must be concerted and implemented not later than the time when formal announcement of the conclusion of the North Atlantic pact is made. However, it is not considered practicable to include Turkey in the North Atlantic pact, nor are we yet ready to state what other steps we may take to achieve our objective of reassuring the Turkish people and warning those hostile to Turkey regarding our determination to support that country against threats to its independence.⁴

The attached telegram⁵ is designed to tell the Turks that we cannot support their request, at least at this moment, but that we are not in any way diminishing our support for Turkey and that we are studying means to make this clear to the rest of the world. Essentially the telegram is a plea to the Turks to be patient and let us work things out.⁶

We have discussed the question with the British Embassy, which has consulted London. The British Foreign Office concurs in the line set forth in the draft telegram and is instructing its Ambassador in Ankara to adopt a similar line. The text of the British instruction is attached, Tab B.⁷

Recommendation

Signature of attached telegram to Ankara.

Concurrences

WE EUR

1. Telegram 839, November 26, p. 294.
2. The words here attributed to Lovett are referred to in his memorandum of July 21 covering his conversation of that date with Ambassador Baydur, p. 196, paragraph 6.
3. Ambassador Vassili Dendramis talked with Chief of the Division of Greek, Turkish, and Iranian Affairs Jernegan on December 1. The conversation is reported by Jernegan in his memorandum of that date, not printed (840.00/12–148).
4. An earlier and more extensive discussion of this subject appears in a memorandum from Satterthwaite of NEA to Lovett dated October 26, 1948. The memorandum, not printed (840.20/10–2648).
5. Telegram 588 to Ankara, December 15, 1948, vol. iv, p. 213.
6. In answer to this telegram 588 to Ankara, the Secretary General of the Turkish Foreign Office expressed to Ambassador Wadsworth the following reply which is quoted from telegram 899, December 27, from Ankara: “Turkish Government reiterates its sincere thanks and full confidence continuing US military aid and political support. It understands delicacy present situation; appreciates particularly Department’s comment that ‘American interest in North Atlantic security in no way implies lessening of American interest in Turkish security’; and consequently accepts without equivocation Department’s advice not press matter at this stage. At same time it takes note Department’s assurance that possible future relationships between other countries and those of presently conceived Atlantic bloc are already subject of ‘active study’ in current negotiations; and it requests that if it be deemed appropriate by US Government it be informed of progress such study.” (Telegram 899, not printed: 867.00/12–2748.)
7. Tab B not printed.