Eisenhower Library, Eisenhower papers, Whitman file
No. 486
Memorandum by the President to the Secretary of
State
I was visited day before yesterday1 by Prime Minister Menderes of Turkey, who brought up a number of subjects, the most of which I assume will be discussed in the conferences he is having with your Department and with FOA.2
One general subject that came up for discussion impressed me. It was the attitude of the Prime Minister—and his Government—toward the need for strengthening the “Southern Flank Alliance.” He implied that the Turkish-Pakistan Alliance should be strengthened by including several of the intervening nations, including Afghanistan. He also believes that in this organization we should include Italy. I do not think that he meant that Italy should be detached from the Gruenther organization, but that it should be included in the Southern organization in such fashion that it would form sort of a pivot between the two fronts, much as Turkey itself now forms a link between NATO and the countries to the eastward.
Pursuing this line of thought further, he pointed out that it would, of course, be a very fine thing for the safety of the region if Yugoslavia could be included in NATO, but quickly acknowledged that under present conditions such a development is impossible. He volunteered that he was going to do all he could to promote a peaceful solution of the Trieste question so that with the Yugoslavs standing shoulder to shoulder with Turkey and Greece, Italy would not only be rendered much safer from land attack, but could devote its energies and reserves where needed.
- June 2.↩
- See infra and Documents 488 and 489.↩