867.24/557: Telegram

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

145. Department’s 1, January 1, and 635, December 5.61 My 36, January 6. Foreign Minister asked me to call yesterday and said that he, Prime Minister, and Minister of Commerce had discussed our desire to acquire substantial quantities of essential commodities in Turkey as a quid pro quo for sale or charter to Turkish Government of two or three vessels. Numan said that they had been in agreement as to justice of our position in view of sacrifice American Government would be obliged to make in selling or chartering two or three vessels to Turkey at this time. He added that an additional motive was desire of Turkish Government to give tangible evidence of its appreciation for consideration shown by American Government in recently providing 15,000 tons of wheat for Turkey and in agreeing to make available shipping space to move 15,000 tons of Turkish tobacco in 1945 without having sought a quid pro quo. He then handed me a memorandum listing following commodities and quantities of each which he said Turkish Government was prepared to make available for purchase by United States:

The list is as follows. All quantities are tons: Copper 2,000; mohair (quota already allocated in 1942) 800; skins of small animals 1,000; valonia 4,000; valonia extract 250; silk cocoons 50; silk waste (according to quantities available on the market); hemp thread 1,000; cotton waste 500; woolen rags 250; sesame 1,000; poppy seeds 400; linseed 500; hemp seeds 200; sunflower seeds 1,000; ground nuts 300; pistache nuts 3 or 400; licorice 10,000; attar of roses 50 to 75 kilograms.

Numan pointed out that the British were pressing him for substantial amounts of most of the above commodities and that it was necessary for him to reserve approximately the same quantities for the British. He estimated the total value of the above list at 12 million Turkish pounds and concluded with the request that I inform the Department that the sale of these essential commodities in these amounts to the United States would represent a real sacrifice by the Turkish Government. As I was leaving he jokingly asked me how soon he might expect the “four” vessels.

As the Department is aware, Turkish prices for all commodities are extremely high at least in part as the result of competitive bidding between the Axis and ourselves. In consequence it would seem inadvisable to even intimate to the Turkish Embassy the price to be asked [Page 1090] for any vessels the Department may contemplate selling or chartering to the Turkish Government until the prices to be paid by us for the several commodities have first been ascertained. In this connection the Department may wish to consider the desirability of offsetting the cost of the vessels against the cost of the commodities.

Steinhardt