TURKEY AND THE ALLIES

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 225, 20 June 1944, Page 4

TURKEY AND THE ALLIES

The resignation of the Turkish Foreign Minister, M. Menemencoglu, has been interpreted in American quarters as an indication of an impending change in a line of foreign policy which hitherto has been a cause of dissatisfaction to the Allies. In the final analysis the responsibility for this policy rests upon the Turkish Government as a whole, although to some extent it may have been influenced by the views of its Foreign Minister. In December last M. Menemencoglu had an important and, as he said afterward, very frank discussion with the British Foreign Secretary, Mr.. Eden, at Cairo, lhe atmosphere of the discussion, he said, was quite friendly, and agreement was reached within the framework of Turkey’s policy ot neutrality, with every promise of satisfactory results. Mr. Edens state went to the House of Commons at a later stage bore this out,, and added the hope that M. Menemencoglu’s assurances of he pful friendship toward Britain, the United States, and Russia would have tanSibl ‘li waTquite evident, however, from Mr. Chnrehiirs statemMrt in the House of Commons at the end of last month that fulfilment bad fallen seriously short of Allied anticipation. Announcing with great regret,” the cessation of Allied military supplies to Turkey, he added.

It looks probable that in spite of our disappointment in the Aegean the Allies will be able to win the war in the Balkans and generally throughout South-east. Europe without Turkey s bein„ involved, though, of course, Turkey’s aid would be a great help accelerating the progress. W’e have not put pressure on lurkey other than the pressure of argument and not giving her the swPP I which we needed for ourselves and other nations, but the ™ ur , Turkey has taken so far will not, in my view, secure for the links a strong position at the peace talks, which they would attend upon their joining the Allies.

For diplomatic usage this was very plain speaking, but, as Mr. Chui chill remarked, he had thought it better to put it bluntly. . In the light o this statement the resignation of M. Menemencoglu is thereto:e no without some significance. It is possibly a face-saving gesture to enable the Turkish Government ’to change the direction of its foreign nolicv to a line more acceptable to the Allies. The latest advances by the Al’ies in Italy, by Tito’s Partisan Army in the Balkans, and last of all the- success of the Allied landings in Normandy, have added to Mr. Churchill’s warning hint arguments that are too impressive to be lightly discounted.