811.248/580: Telegram
The Ambassador in Turkey (Steinhardt) to the Secretary of State
[Received 9:42 p.m.]
632. My 625, June 18, 2 p.m. Numan Bey96 telephoned me this morning that a lengthy telegram had been received last night by the semi-official Anatolian Agency from Berlin charging Turk neutrality had been intentionally violated by our planes on outward bound as well as return flight. In connection with publication of telegram from Berlin Numan Bey said he had instructed Anatolian to add a full statement to effect State Department had informed Turk Ambassador in Washington and the United States Ambassador in Ankara had informed Turk Foreign Office specific instructions had been issued to pilots not to fly over Turk territory and that they had complied with their orders excepting in case of individual planes which had been compelled to make forced landings in Turkey and that in consequence any violation of Turk neutrality had been wholly unintentional and occasioned only by necessity. Also interrogation by Turk military authorities of pilots now in Ankara fully confirmed statements made by the United States Ambassador in Ankara and to Turk Ambassador in Washington and Turkish Government was accordingly entirely satisfied there had been no intentional violation of Turkish neutrality.
- Numan Menemenğlu, Secretary General of the Turkish Foreign Office.↩