TURKISH PROMISE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 December 1943, Page 4

TURKISH PROMISE

WILL PERSUADE BULGARIA TO SUE FOR PEACE

AMERICAN CORRESPONDENT’S

REPORT.

AXIS PUPPETS SEEKING WAY

OF ESCAPE.

(By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) LONDON. December 14.

The Turkish Government, has undertaken to persuade Bulgaria to quit the Axis and sue for peace, says the Cairo correspondent of the “New York Times,” quoting a report from a "reliable source.” This pledge was made to the Allies at the conference between Mr Roosevelt, Mr Churchill, and General Inonu, at which the Turkish President specifically stated: “This can be Turkey’s initial big contribution to speeding up the Allied victory.” The correspondent says that Bulgaria's break from the Axis would open up the entire Balkan peninsula as far as the Daunbe and would accomplish the immediate liberation of Greece. It is understood that Hitler has already warned the Bulgarians that any peace move would be followed by swift retribution, and he reminded them of the Italians' suffering as a result of their collapse. Nevertheless, from the Allies’ viewpoint. the correspondent says, ’eVen should Bulgaria sue for peace and be occupied by the Germans this would be a further drain on Hitler’s shrinking reserves and would also precipitate an early entry into the war by Turkey.

“A high-ranking, well-informed person told me that Hungary, Rumania and Bulgaria are searching frantically for a way to quit the Axis,” states the Ankara correspondent of the “New York Times.” He said that the Hungarians’ pro-Bri-tish sentiments were unchanged. They claimed that the alliance with Germany was due to force majeure, and they would unhesitatingly surrender to Britain and America if it were possible. Rumania was so terrified over the Soviet victories that she would welcome British and America’s occupation.

Bulgaria’s position was different, as the Government was made up of Nazi puppets, while the army was strongly pro-Russian. Indeed, the genaral opinion was that the troops would mutiny if they were ordered to fight against Russia. If the war were confined to land battles the Bulgarians would insist on defending their country against any Power except Russia, but as the recent bombings had given Sofia a taste of war from the air the population was now clamouring for peace at any price. In view of the presence of the Gestapo, peace was not likely to result from the clamouring, but before long more powerful methods might be adopted. ANKARA BROADCAST TURKEY WITH UNITED NATIONS. LONDON, December 14. A declaration that Turkey, through nominally a neutral country, was in reality one of the United Nations, contributing her share to the common cause, was made in a broadcast by Ankara radio. It was specially written for the English session..! Every Turkish step, the broadcast said, had been taken after consultation with the British Government. The war had entered a new phase. Did that call on Turkey to act in a different way? It was no secret that that question formed the main topic of the Cairo discussions.