711.672(1929)/19: Telegram

The Ambassador in Turkey (Grew) to the Secretary of State

9. The following telegram supplements and amplifies my 6, September 24, midnight. I shall not sign the treaty until a reply to the present telegram is received.

Article 1:

1.
Turkish delegation requests that in the final plenary session I make a statement for the minutes along the lines of the final paragraph of the Department’s telegram 48, September 21, 11 a.m., regarding “other duties and charges affecting commerce” merely for purposes of clarification. These minutes, which will be in French, will not form part of the treaty and will not be submitted for ratification.
2.
Subheading (b): The formula chosen is “the countries detached in 1923 from the former Ottoman Empire”.
3.
Article 2: In view of the agreement of the Turkish delegation to meet the Department’s wishes by omitting the greater part of their text of this article, they request me to make a statement which shall be recorded in the minutes of the final plenary session to the effect [Page 834] that the provisions of paragraph 1 and the first sentence of paragraph 2 would in no way prevent Turkey from adopting import and export prohibitions and restrictions in order to assist a monopoly but would prevent their relaxing such prohibitions and restrictions for the benefit of some particular country without relaxing them for the benefit of the United States.
4.
They also desire a statement for the minutes along the lines of paragraph 3 of the Department’s 48, September 21, 11 a.m., regarding bounties and subsidies (dumping). They desire this statement to protect them in case they are charged with giving exceptional treatment to the United States by the omission of this clause.
5.
Article 3. Turkish delegation requests that after the word “coastwise traffic” we insert the word “cabotage” in brackets. However, if the Department dislikes this proposal they will be satisfied with a statement from me for the minutes that where coastwise traffic appears in the English text I shall have enumerated meaning with cabotage. They prefer the first procedure.
6.
The Turkish delegation is quite willing to include in our treaty, paragraph 2, subheading (1), article 25 of the British treaty regarding cabotage if the Department so desires, or else a statement for the minutes.
7.
Article 3, paragraph (c): In the interests of better drafting the English text now reads: “All other exceptions not included in those mentioned above shall be subject to most-favored-nation treatment.”
8.
[Paraphrase.] Regarding article 3, paragraph (c): The Turkish delegates state that the exceptions enumerated in article 3 to national treatment certainly will not be applied in a discriminatory manner. They would reluctantly be willing to give the United States, in a protocol or in the minutes, the same provision as given Great Britain in paragraph numbered 1 of the Anglo–Turkish protocol regarding national and most-favored-nation treatment in navigation, but it is strongly urged by them that this request be not made, since the Turkish Government is extremely sensitive in regard to this matter (see my 6, September 24, midnight). The Turkish delegates state that distinctly bad feeling was caused by the British delegation’s insistence upon this provision, and as a result the British have lost prestige. Such insistence is interpreted by the Turks as further proof that the British attitude to Turkey is not sympathetic. The French did not insist, and the provision does not appear in their treaty with Turkey.36 Accordingly I do not recommend insistence by the United States in this regard, and I am hopeful that insertion of the provision will not be required by the Department.
9.
As the final plenary session has been set provisionally for September 28, I request instructions or authorization covering the above points.
10.
Should the Department object to some of the above proposals, kindly make it clear whether the objections are fundamental or, if it proves impossible to obtain full compliance with the viewpoint of the Department, I am authorized even so to sign the treaty. [End paraphrase.]

Grew
  1. Telegram in two sections.
  2. Convention of commerce and navigation, signed at Angora, August 29, 1929; League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. cxxiii, p. 193.