Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1943, The Near East and Africa, Volume IV

711.67/121

The Secretary of State to Admiral William D. Leahy, Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy

Washington, July 22, 1943.

My Dear Admiral Leahy: I appreciate your courtesy in sending to the Department, in your letter of July 16, 1943, extracts from the Minutes of the Casablanca Conference which pertain to Turkey.

The Minutes confirm the Department’s understanding, expressed in my recent letter to the British Ambassador in Washington, that nothing agreed upon at Casablanca limits in any way the full independence of action of the American Government in its political and economic relations with Turkey. Agreements entered into by the Combined Chiefs of Staff refer, of course, to military matters.

The Department’s inquiry into this subject resulted from an apparent misunderstanding on the part of certain British authorities regarding the scope of the Casablanca agreements.

Sincerely yours,

Cordell Hull