Conference files, lot 59 D 95, CF 98
Memorandum of Conversation, by Norbert L. Anschuetz of the United States Delegation at the Eighth Session of the North Atlantic Council
Subject: NATO Command Arrangements Regarding Turkey
| Participants: | Ambassador Huseyn Ragip Baydur, Observer at Eighth Session of the North Atlantic Council |
| The Secretary of State | |
| N. L. Anschuetz, Member U.S. Delegation |
Ambassador Baydur, presently Turkish Ambassador to Italy, called on the Secretary at 11:00 a. m. November 29th.
The Ambassador expressed his pleasure at seeing the Secretary and in representing his government at the Council meeting.
The Ambassador then said that his government had received information through the Turkish military representatives in Washington that the Standing Group had been actively considering NATO command arrangements with regard to Turkey. According to his information the British had advocated placing Turkey, Greece [Page 744] and Yugoslavia under British command, possibly under the proposed MEC (Middle East Command). The American plan, as reported, provided that Turkey be divided into two commands militarily: the western part falling under the direct command of General Eisenhower, and the eastern part falling under the MEC under British leadership. The Turkish Government is concerned at this development. The Ambassador stated that it was impossible that Turkey should have political association with NATO, but that her military strength should be tied to the MEC with which Turkey has no contractual obligations. Such a situation would provide a critical internal political problem for the Turkish Government. He said that Turkey had already been under diplomatic attack from the USSR with regard to the MEC.
The Secretary replied that he could set the Ambassador’s mind at rest. The Turkish aide-mémoire1 (which was submitted after the visit of Generals Bradley, Slim, and Lecheres to Ankara) setting forth Turkish views with regard to command arrangements, had been sympathetically studied both in the Department of Defense and in the Department of State. The U.S. is clearly aware of the Turkish desire to be included in an existing NATO command under General Eisenhower. He felt that the Turkish Government could assume that a solution along those lines would ultimately be developed. We have clearly in mind that no decision on this matter can be taken without a complete exchange of views with the Turkish Government and until Turkey enjoyed the rights and privileges of full NATO membership. The Secretary added that in his conversations with General Bradley he had received no impression that the U.S. military authorities were at this time thinking of splitting Turkey into two military commands.
Ambassador Baydur expressed his pleasure at this information and assured the Secretary that Turkey was by no means hostile to the idea of the MEC, but was in fact prepared to cooperate with it at the proper time. In his opinion the proper time would arrive after a full assessment of Turkey’s military and political obligations under NATO had been firmly established. He mentioned in this connection that he was somewhat concerned at the action of the present NATO Council in urging the NATO agencies to press for a solution to the command arrangements in the Middle East to be submitted to the Council at its Lisbon meeting in early February 1952.
The Secretary suggested that the proper procedure would be to examine the question of the MEC on the basis of certain assumptions: i.e. that Turkey would fall in the first instance under an existing NATO command directly under General Eisenhower. He added that he saw very little possibility of taking immediate action in connection with the MEC.