TURKEY: Invitations to the Table

Tucked away near the end of Anthony Eden’s report to Parliament was a comment on his meetings with Turkish Foreign Minister Numan Menemencioglu (pronounced Manymeńjoglu):

“We exchanged views on the general situation in the light of the results of the Moscow Conference. My Turkish colleague has now returned to Ankara to report the outcome of these conversations to his Government. Meanwhile, there is nothing further I can say.”

Hitler’s Ambassador Franz von Papen gnawed his nails in Ankara during the Cairo talks, had a long interview with Menemencioglu afterward, then promptly scuttled off to Berlin. The logic of politics and geography suggested two conclusions:

» The most immediate help Turkey could give the Allies would be air bases for operations against the Aegean and Dodecanese Islands and the Balkans. (British engineers have been building airfields “for the Turkish air force.”)

» Turkey is unlikely to take such a direct step toward war until the Allies are ready to rush in full air strength to cover vulnerable cities, especially Istanbul.

Turkey’s dilemma was once summed up in a terse anecdote about the meeting between Churchill and President Ismet Inönü (pronounced Ino’new) at Adana last January. Inönü suggested, with subtle naiveté: “Turkey need not come into the war to be sure of a place at the peace table—the Atlantic Charter takes care of that.” Churchill’s comeback: “If you enter the war you can be sure of a place at the peace table. If you remain neutral you may have to be content with standing room.”