867.24/611a: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Turkey (Steinhardt)
212. Your 333, February 22, paragraph 4 and Department’s 168, February 24, 10 p.m.71 As you are aware, a comprehensive plan for the handling of lend-lease shipments to Turkey by American officials in America and in the Middle East was ready to be placed in effect 2 months ago. However, OLLA has been informed by the Combined Chiefs of Staff, as a result of agreements reached at Casablanca, that Turkey is regarded as within a British area of military responsibility and that consequently British officials will be responsible for preparing and submitting requests for American lend-lease supplies of a military character to be furnished Turkey and for the shipment of such supplies. Hence it will not be possible to put into effect the full arrangements previously contemplated. Further details regarding the handling of lend-lease for Turkey at present await a definition of military and non-military supplies. It is hoped a definition will be agreed upon shortly.
Officials of the United States War Department, prior to the Casablanca meeting, had made plans for presenting all Turkish requests for military supplies to the Munitions Assignments Board in Washington. This project has now been abandoned, since the British will [Page 1095] henceforth prepare and present such Turkish requests and justifications here. American officials will continue to be available to the Turkish officials in Washington, however, for advice and assistance on military items and for direct action on non-military items.
The Turkish Embassy here is being kept informed. You should inform the Turkish Government of the changes in administration which have been agreed upon for the provision of American lend-lease aid to Turkey. The mechanisms of bidding, assignment and transportation are flexible to meet existing or changing circumstances. Since the Middle East is a military theater in which, as between the United States and the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom is primarily responsible, the procedure described in Department’s 168 is to be followed.72 Similar procedure is employed as a matter of efficiency in military administration in handling military items for other countries receiving lend-lease aid from us, such as the governments in exile, the dominions, etc. Turkish non-military items, of course, will be handled directly by the lend-lease administration.
- Neither printed; these had reference to a foreign affairs speech by the Turkish Prime Minister (Saraçoğlu) and a message from the Lend-Lease Administrator (Stettinius) to the Lend-Lease Representative in Turkey (Kaufman), respectively (740.0011 European War 1939/28106, 867.24/600).↩
- This described the more technical details of the procedure agreed upon.↩