GERMANY AND TURKEY

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23362, 23 June 1941, Page 5

GERMANY AND TURKEY

CONSIDERATION OF NEW AGREEMENT

NEGOTIATION OP TRADE TREATY

(Received June 22, 10 p.m.) (U.P.A.) LONDON, June 21. It is learned in Ankara that a new and more important Turkish-German trade agreement is under consideration. A Turkish delegation is expected to visit Berlin soon. Coincident with the Ankara radio for the first time failing to broadcast British war communiques, the Turkish Foreign Minister (Sukru Saracoglu) Issued a statement saying that the preamble to the treaty between Turkey and Germany was designed to safeguard the alliance between Turkey and Britain.

The Ankara correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain says the Ankara newspapers greeted the treaty exuberantly but the Governmsnt banned the pro-Axis “Tasvirifekar” for a month because of an anti-British leading article. The Ankara correspondent of the British United Press states that it is authoritatively learned there that an assurance was given to the British Ambassador (Sir Hughe KnatchbullHugessen) by the Turkish Foreign Minister that Turkey would never permit the passage of German troops or war materials through her territory.

RUSSIA’S WAR PREPARATIONS

MOVEMENTS BEFORE GERMAN ATTACK

LONDON, June 22,

Reports received before the German attack said that Russia had evaluated the populations of several Baltic coast districts, according to refugees who arrived at Helsinki after escaping from Estonia. They stated that Russia had created a “devastation belt’’ 60 miles wide along the German-Lithuanian frontier. Bridges and railways had been destroyed and entire villages blown up. An Ankara report, said that large concentrations of Russian troops had moved up to the Finnish frontier. Troop movements were also taking place in Russian Poland and the Ukraine, Russian newspapers suddenly became outspoken, declaring Russia’s readiness to fight. The newspaper “Izvestia" said: “Neither through the forests, across the Steppes, the mountains or the seas, will the enemy pass the forbidden boundary." ' The "Red Star,” the organ of the Red Army, bluntly declared: "The army is being put in fighting trim.” In an article on Saturday the diplomatic correspondent of the “NewsChronicle’’ drew attention to the puzzling fact that although German embassies throughout Europe were buzzing with belligerent statements, both Russia and Russian diplomats were completely calm; Stalin was living up to his reputation as “Inscrutable Joe." Last Sunday he attended a comedy, “Over the Steppes of the Ukraine,” thereby pleasantly maintaining the “Waterloo eve" atmosphere, while giving evidence of bis interest in the Ukraine. , '.