SCANDAL IN TURKEY MAY BE EXPOSED

Southland Times, Issue 24593, 15 November 1941, Page 7

SCANDAL IN TURKEY MAY BE EXPOSED

LONDON, November 12.

The resignations of the Turkish Ministers of War and Transport may lead to the exposure of a scandal arising from illicit arms traffic with Germany. A Turkish steamer which is believed to have been torpedoed is said to have carried a cargo of explosives. Some reports suggest that the President, Ismet Inonu, may be replaced. The first news of the development came from the Ankara radio which announced that the Turkish War Minister, M. Saffet Arikan, and the Transport Minister, M. Jedet-Kerm Injedayi, had resigned. The Ministers said thenresignations would facilitate investigations into the loss of a Turkish steamer in the Mediterranean. The radio later announced that General Artekal and Admiral Engin would succeed the Ministers who had resigned.

The steamer was sunk on November 3 and the incident was reported from Istanbul on November 6 as follows: "A Soviet submarine on November 3 allegedly sank a small Turkish freighter carrying Turkish products to Burgas, Bulgaria, for transshipment to Germany. The crew was allowed to take to the lifeboats before the freighter was sunk by gunfire. A number of similar ships destined for the same voyage ceased loading and refused to sail.”