COURTING TURKEY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 January 1942, Page 4

COURTING TURKEY

GERMANY’S SUDDEN INTEREST OBSERVERS PUZZLED. BEARING ON RELATIONS WITH BRITAIN. Where floes Turkey stand? No current diplomatic situation has been subject to a wider range of conflicting reports. A new German diplomatic offensive is described in the following Associated Press summary. Independent dispatches from Istanbul, however, have recently interpreted President Inonu’s statements as indicating strengthening of ties with Britain. Observers stationed in the German capital are puzzling over Germany’s sudden interest in Turkey, states the “Christian Science Monitor.” Why is Turkey suddenly played up so much and so favourably in the German press? Why are Turkish generals invited to see Hitler, and Turkish staff officers encouraged to study in the Reich? Why is President Inonu’s statesmanship praised so lavishly? Why is so much stress laid these days on Turk-ish-German trade relations?

Clearly the renewed diplomatic activity may be intended to persuade Turkey to join the Axis actively, or at least passively. Cr it may be that Germany is satisfied to have Turkey remain neutral and aloof, but fears British and American pressure may be applied so vigorously as to turn it from its neutral course.

During the second week of November, the German press began, to release photographs of the military parade at Istanbul on the occasion of the eighteenth anniversary of the Turkish Republic. At the same time, the Turkish-Ger-man trade agreement was hailed as a constructive and forward-looking piece of statesmanship. The picture pages of the dailies began more and more to feature Turkish motifs. Listening around among soldiers on furlough, one could hear these young lads—who most likely are last to know what their superiors have in mind —voicing the impression that they next will be shipped southward toward the Turkish border.

Psychologically, this belief of the common soldier that he soon is going toward Turkey is interesting. It must be remembered, however, that Hitler often does the opposite of what generally is expected. After all this spade work emphasising German friendship for Turkey had been done, some of Germany’s star writers were put to work on the matter.

Thus. Martin Bethke, Istanbul correspondent for the “Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitimg,” who generally is rated an outstanding specialist on Turkey, wrote a comprehensive article on “Turkey in The Year 1941.” The following quotations from his article are revealing: “Churchill made it clear (last February) that he wanted to involve the Balkan states and Turkey against Germany. But Bulgaria and Turkey—in other words two States which certainly did not belong to the same political system—suddenly concluded a nonaggression pact. . . .

“Turkey showed thereby that she did not want to be misused as a component part of the English Eastern Front. The Fuehrer’s personal mission to the national Turkish Chief of State and the reply by Ismet Inonu led to a treaty of friendship which finally resulted in the exchange arrangement, fortunate for both sides, because Germany was actuated by feelings of friendship for Turkey and not by purposeful, egoistic considerations.” As if to put a final fortissimo on this crescendo of publicity favourable to Turkey, Germany’s Virginia Gayda, the Swabian Karl Megerle apostrophised Turkish-German relations in his “Boersenzeitung” in a long editorial. Here are some salient excerpts: “German-Turkish relations are today already in such excellent condition that it is not necessary to emphasise them at the expense of other nations. . . „

“The essential interests of Turkey and the Reich are not only compatible but they even complement each other and in important questions are identical. . . .

“The geopolitic position of the Reich and Turkey make it possible both to acknowledge without reservation Turkey’s European as well as her special task of being watcher and trustee of the Straits (The Dardenelles) and therein recognise a necessary function of order, solidarity and peace in this area.”