On August
23, 1946, US State Division Partner Head of Close to Eastern Undertakings John
D. Jernegan prepared a notice, which was supported by Secretary Byrnes and
Undersecretary Acheson on October 21, 1946, stating that the Soviet Union
planned to debilitate Turkey to overwhelm it and use it both as a guard against
possible external assault from the Mediterranean and as a device for the political
and military venture into the Mediterranean and the Center East. Turkey's
position in the Cold War became clearer in this release. As it stands, Turkey's
strategic location in the Middle East, as well as its decision to defy Soviet
pressure (which is fully supported by the United States and the United
Kingdom), would serve as an important reference for other Middle Eastern
countries. In the event of a confrontation, Turkey would be viewed as a typical
impediment to the Soviet Union's expansion into the eastern Mediterranean and
the Middle East.
As
previously stated, Turkey's international region was considered essential for
Soviet domination during the Cold War years. Control of the Waterways was,
without a doubt, the raison d'être of American main initiatives in the region.
Around that time, President Harry Truman viewed George Kennan's admonitions in
the "Long Telegram," which claimed that the US should pursue a
"control" approach to halt Soviet growth.
In this
system, the primary substantive proof of American involvement in Turkey can be
found in Acheson's explanations, providing Turkey with a secret assurance that
Soviet regional requests extended into "circles of world harmony and
security," in which the US was "very interested." Similarly, Loy
Henderson, Overseer of the Express Division's Near East and African
Undertakings, considered Turkey to be "the main military calculate the
eastern Mediterranean and Center East," adding that "by its
geological position, Turkey is the plug in the neck of the container through
which Soviet political and military impact could most truly flow into the
eastern Mediterranean and Center East." Acheson also stated that "the
West needed to keep Greece and Turkey out of Soviet hands - or be prepared to
accept the resultant loss of the Center East's crucial bases, lines of communication,
and assets." These remarks might be seen as underlying indicators of Turkey's
condition in the region's new American international discourse.
The English
government then declared on February 21, 1947, that it was withdrawing its
troops from Greece and completing its military and monetary guide to Greece and
Turkey. Without US backing, the US group said in Congress, Greece would be
taken over by socialists, Turkey would be weak in the district, and the eastern
Mediterranean and the Near East would fall under Soviet dominance. On March 12,
1947, President Harry Truman addressed Congress and made one of the most
important addresses of the postwar period, requesting consent to extend
military and financial assistance to Greece and Turkey. This speech is regarded
as the first big proclamation in quite some time in Cold War international
debate and is thus treated seriously as the Cold War's authoritative
proclamation.
It might be
argued that the Truman Convention was a result of the American geostrategic and
international perception of Greece and Turkey as major country states in terms
of security in the Middle East, and vital to the protection of American public
interests in the Mediterranean region. It systematized the disparities between
the United States and the Soviet Union; Truman, like a typical geopolitician,
used the simple and conceptual categories of "the free globe" and "the
subjugated world," which is extremely opposing thinking. His foreign
understanding divided the world into two camps: good vs evil, free capitalism
versus socialism, the West versus the East, and the United States versus the
Soviet Union.
Greece was
important to Truman and Turkey had become crucial because "the failure of
the West to prevent a socialist takeover in Greece would not only position the
Russians on an exceptionally perilous flank for the Turks but also increase the
Soviet Association's power to withdraw unified supplies and aid with the occasion
of war." It might be argued that the threat of territorial cascade
influence influenced the US' decision.
The Truman
Convention may be considered one of the most important steps in the United
States Cold War control policy, and it was implemented by financial restitution
of Western Europe via the Marshall Plan and military regulation with the
establishment of NATO in 1949. As a result, following President Truman's speech
before Congress, worldwide dialogue on the US began to be formed, and these
efforts legitimized US mediation efforts all over the world. The study, known
as the Public Safety Chamber Goal (NSC)- 68 and published in 1950, is one of
the fundamental documents establishing the United States Cold War foreign
rhetoric.
According to
the study, "[t]he onslaught on free organizations is widespread now, and
given the current polarization of force, a loss of free institutions anywhere
is a loss everywhere." The worldwide repercussions of this argument
include that all parts of the globe have equal important importance, and so a
world leader must declare expertise in all nations. The Soviet framework was
viewed as opposed to the US framework and an impediment to the foundation of
request in the global framework. The record characterized the US's worldwide
role as a world leader as follows: "Our broad policy right now may be
portrayed as one meant to create a global atmosphere in which the American
framework may make due and thrive."
It consequently
rejects the concept of confinement and emphasizes the importance of our
constructive support for the global society." Similarly, this American framework would have
to establish global international rules. Its main adversary was described as the
Soviet Association and its allies as the nations backing "free
foundations."
The Truman
Tenet, Marshall Plan, and NSC-68 reports resulted in billions of dollars in
monetary and military aid for Western Europe, as well as Greece and Turkey.
With these agreements, the US organization demonstrated to the world that it
had taken over England's role in the Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean.
The essential elements remaining to be resolved were Greece's and Turkey's
tactical roles in the Marshall Plan and eventually in NATO the geostrategic
framework's force.
The North
Atlantic Treaty was signed on April 4, 1949, and NATO was established. It was
regarded as a fulfillment of the international appeal for the Cold War. Turkey
asked for membership in NATO in May 1950 but was denied, mostly because of its
location in the international eyes of the United States and England. According
to them, "Turkey did not have a place with either Western Europe or the
Atlantic, and hence she was unable to join the Atlantic provincial group."
In any
case, as Altunşk and Tür emphasize, the State Division was concerned about a
potential Turkish-Soviet rapprochement because, while the US military was not
ready to expand its institutional responsibilities in the Mediterranean
district, the State Division was concerned about a potential Turkish-Soviet
rapprochement because of Turkey's exclusion from NATO; because to political and
geological considerations, Turkey's admission to NATO was linked to Greece's
admission. According to a US State Department study dated June 13, 1949,
"the loss of Turkey would fundamentally impact US security objectives in the
Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East." The reminder states that
"[i]t would be ludicrous to include Turkey if Greece were not
included."
Following
Turkey's rejection by the United States and the United Kingdom for membership
in NATO, Turkish leaders gradually began to emphasize Turkey's international
relevance in contrast to the Soviet Union and express concerns about the
country's security. These early efforts to change the choice had an impact on
Americans and English, but Turkey was given another chance when the Korean War
started on June 25, 1950, and NATO was present. Turkey reapplied to NATO on
August 11, 1950 , and on October 18, 1950, it committed 4,500 troops to Korea
to bolster its application.
Following
the Korean War, it is evident that the Western Coalition would require Greece
and Turkey in the event of a battle with the Eastern Coalition. Acheson
reminded the Europeans at the North Atlantic Committee meeting in September
1951 that Turkish and Greek involvement would be the best approach to strengthen
the alliance. Eventually, despite opposition from England and the Scandinavian
nations, and as a result of the favorable status, Turkish soldiers gained in
the Korean War, coupled with a shift in American perceptions about Turkey's
critical relevance after 1951, Turkey became a NATO member on February 18,
1952, a NATO member was killed. Turkey's international role in the alliance was
to prevent Soviet expansionism by acting as NATO's southern flank.
Turkey
became an important partner in the Korean War, as well as an example of how
beneficial US international strategy might be in 'controlling' the Soviets.
Turkey's acceptance into NATO was viewed as another duty for the country, both
militarily and politically, and socially.
The Middle
East, according to George Harris, "was an important testing ground for the
Turkish-American alliance in the first 10 years of Turkey's involvement in
NATO."During the Cold War years, the US as a global force had a few
foreign goals. For example, it intended to deter a future Soviet attack in the
area, secure NATO's southern flank, assist Israel, and maintain western stock
lines across the Mediterranean, as well as access and control oil in the Middle
East. Even though Turkey's major role in the alliance was to entice the Soviet
Union, Ankara also played an important role in the strategy to preserve Western
interests in the Middle East. In actuality, Turkey strengthened the district,
which was crucial to US interests, and provided a significant gateway to the
Middle East.
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