740.5/9–1250: Telegram

The Ambassador in Turkey (Wadsworth) to the Secretary of State

confidential
niact

91. 1. Since telegraphing Department some three weeks ago summarizing argument Turk Prime Minister and Foreign Minister for Turk admission Atlantic Pact,1 I have been increasingly impressed by its sincerity and wide public support; and I have shared growing conviction my staff and friendly colleagues that domestic position present, sincerely cooperative government will be seriously weakened if its request not be granted.

2. Last evening at dinner I had striking confirmation this view. For two days as only foreign civilian guest I had followed closely in the field annual Turk army maneuvers. They were first to include joint operations with navy and air force including effective modern joint operations and communications center. During the day President Bayar joined us and presided at dinner. Flanking him at table were Minister National Defense, myself, Chief of Staff and Minister Communication,2 a former general staff colonel. As Chief AMAT I raised several AMAT problems which President discussed freely.

3. He then said, in close substance: We are eminently satisfied with our cooperation with your country in this military field and, although we feel your Government has overly weighted, relatively speaking, its economic aid to such countries as Greece and Italy, we are sincerely grateful for the very considerable contribution to our national strength you have made in the economic field as well. But there is a third and today even more important field, the political-strategic field, in which we sense a hesitancy on your part. We do not understand it. I speak not only as President but more particularly as a Turk. We wish to join the Atlantic Pact and bring our full cooperation to mutual defense of the western democratic world of which we truly feel ourselves a part.

4. President hesitated a moment and continued: Does your Government not realize that we Turks will consider further deferment of favorable action on our request by the Atlantic Pact powers as a refusal and as unwillingness to accept us as equal partners in meeting jointly any threat of aggression? We have shown our good faith by forthright action towards meeting the Korean crisis. I fear frankly that, if Atlantic Pact Council of Foreign Ministers turns down our request, our morale will be seriously affected. We are not a people readily influenced by propaganda. In this matter, however, there is [Page 1313] widespread concern and uncertainty. We feel our very future is at stake.

5. I believe I made as effective answer as was possible within framework Department’s general and specific guidance. President was appreciative but obviously not reassured; he had heard for instance that Foreign Ministers’ answer might suggest that Turkey endeavor organize with Greece and other countries some sort of eastern Mediterranean pact which might later be brought into relationship with Atlantic Pact. I commented that I had heard nothing whatsoever to bear out such reports; and I gave him in confidence information re our support Turkey’s SC candidature sent me in Department intel September 8.3

6. Latter aided me in emphasizing our bona fides but again was not wholly convincing as to Department’s understanding his present problem. He asked I telegraph you fully. I assured him I would return Istanbul this morning, wire you and rejoin him at maneuvers.

7. After dinner former Admiral Uzdes, close presidential adviser and influential member parliamentary National Defense Commission [Committee] put their concern as follows: How can you expect Turk people not to be affected by constant Soviet propaganda, abetted even if unintentionally by bitter domestic political opposition, if you turn down our request. For already they assert that you Americans are only using us as pawns and that we should not send our youth to die for you in Korea. He had, he said, just returned from fortnight’s provincial speaking tour designed to counter just this sort of propaganda; he was worried and not optimistic of success if Turk request be refused or put off for reasons Turks could not understand.

Wadsworth
  1. Reference is to telegram 124, August 22, from Ankara, p. 1296.
  2. Seyfi Kurtbek.
  3. Not printed. For documentation on the question of election of Turkey to a 2–year term in the U.N. Security Council, see vol. ii, pp. 87 ff.