ASSURANCES TO TURKEY

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23300, 9 April 1941, Page 7

ASSURANCES TO TURKEY

GERMAN PROMISES MISTRUSTED

MORE PRECAUTIONS BY ANKARA

LONDON. April 7. Turkey will call up within a few days two more classes of reserves, but it is expected that she will remain a non-belligerent.

The Turks state they are guilty of “offences" similar to those which Germany made a pretext for attacking Jugoslavia and Greece. This confirms the view that Germany’s assurances to Turkey are intended to hold good only until Germany is in a position to attack Turkey. At present there are few troops other than Bulgarian on the Turkish-Bul-garjan frontier and the Turkish Army Is considered more than q match for these. , , The Turkish and British general staffs are maintaining close military contact. The Turkish Cabinet held another meeting to-day. Before the meeting, which was attended by Marshal Chakmak, Chief of the Turkish. General Staff, the Turkish Assembly was reported to have met; The Egyptian press has unanimously condemned the new act of Axis savagery and congratulates Britain for her in having forces on the spot. The Berlin correspondent of the “Zurich Zeitung” says that the conclusion of the Russian-Jugoslav pact has caused a great sensation in political circles in Berlin because of its obvious demonstrative character in the present circumstances. The signature of the Soviet Union’s pact of friendship and non-aggression with Jugoslavia is acclaimed throughout the British press as a highly important event, says a British Official Wireless message. “The Times” says that the signature of the pact at the very hour of the Nazi invasion, though it may have no practical sequel, is "a magnificent gesture of goodwill in a moment of crisis. Recent events have shown that M. Stalin is an astute observer of the international scene, His swift reaction to Hitler’s latest aggression will make its impression throughout the Near. East. A message says that the United States Secretary of State (Mr Cordell Hull) described the Russian-Jugoslav pact as an encouraging indication that an increasing number of nations were acutely aware of- the nature of the movement to conquer people by force. 1 The “New York Times” and other commentators say that Mr Hull thereby intended to indicate his belief that Russian policy is changing as a result of the German threat in the-Balkans.

Money for Aircraft/—The Queen of Tonga has sent £SOO towards the purchase of aircraft and the Hong Kong Newspapers’ Fund has sent another £4OOO. bringing its total gift to £18,200. —Rugby, April 7.