ALLIED PREPARATIONS IN MIDDLE EAST

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 84, Issue 44, 22 February 1940, Page 5

ALLIED PREPARATIONS IN MIDDLE EAST

PLANES BEING MASSED CO-ORDINATION WITH TURKISH FORCES DISCUSSED SUPREME COUNCIL AT ANKARA 'By Teiegruph—Prt*s Association —Copyiight) Received Feb. 21. 9.45 p.m. ANKARA, Feb. 21. The Allies are reported to be massing planes in Egypt, Syria and Palestine. The War Council is reported to have discussed coordination between the Turkish and Allied forces under Generals Weygand and Wavell. The British and French military mission will participate in a Supreme Council. According to a Berlin announcement, a message from Soria stated that 50 British officers arrived at the Turkish fortified town of Adrianople to assist with extension of the fortifications. It was stated that other British artillery and engineering experts were supervising fortifications elsewhere in Turkey. Military circles in London deny the German report that British experts would assist in fortifying Adrianople. The new Turkish national defence decree restricts the export of currency fortravel from Turkey. The invoking of the new law lias caused surprise and some alarm, because it was not expected so soon. The National Assembly will probably meet immediately to confirm the irnplementatioi oi the law, but Cabinet might not await the Assembly s approval before applying the law, which gives the Government power to “fortify the Constitution of the nation in matters of economy and national defence'’ consequent upon first, partial or general mobilisation; and second, the probabilitv of the nation entering war. or of a war betw ren foreign nations affecting Turkey. The newspaper Cumhuriyet, which is the mouthpiece of the dominant People s Party, warns its readers that the coming spring will bring a bitter struggle, but the outcome of the struggle, it adds, is already known because the democracies are successfully carrying out their task.