Ext 6116/46(S) 'Secret Weekly Political Intelligence Summaries, nos 356-416, August 1946-November 1947' [‎40r] (79/978)

21
to draw substantially on her gold reserve.
With the note circulation approaching
danger point she asked the United States
for a loan, but this was refused. In talks
which Mr. Somerville Smith had on behalf
of the Treasury with the Turkish authori
ties they made great efforts to obtain a
^laranteed gold value for their sterling
holdings, and priority for the supply of
British goods. Neither concession is
feasible for H.M. Government, and the
matter is being further considered in
London.
The statement of policy made by the new
Prime Minister, M. Hasan Saka, on 13th
October won him the confidence of the
Grand National Assembly by 362 votes
to 49. It contained no reference to finan
cial difficulties. Foreign policy remained
unchanged, M. Saka said, the fighting
forces would be strengthened and Turkey
would continue to co-operate with all
nations which acted in accordance with the
United Nations Charter. He declared that
democratic principles were gradually
gaining ground in Turkey, but this made
it all the more important to keep an eye
on extremists both of the Right and of the
Left, The remedy for the high cost of
living was increased production. There
fore priority would be given to moderni
sing the mines, and projected roads and
ports would be completed. Such fair
promises have been heard from previous
Prime Ministers, but with the financial
and technical help of the United States
there is a chance of the Turkish Govern
ment at last improving transport between
the harbours and the interior.
A squadron of six R.A.F. bombers
arrived on 13th October on a week’s visit
to Angora and other Turkish towns. Air
Vice-Marshal Strafford, who was in com
mand, was received by the President. The
squadron was hospitably entertained by
the authorities at Istanbul and elsewhere.
General Salih Omurtag, the Turkish
C.G.S., on arriving in the United States
with a staff of 14 persons for discussions,
was reported to have been met by General
Eisenhower, General Spaatz and Admiral
Nimitz. A fortnight earlier, when a
United States task force under Vice-
Admiral Bieri was visiting Izmir, two
sailors, in a fit of acoholic exaltation,
climbed masts in the International Fair
grounds, cut down two Turkish flags and
punched a policeman on the nose, but the
authorities, who in normal circumstances
would have been infuriated, allowed the
matter to be passed off as proof of devotion
to Turkey, and asked the sailors to keep
the flags. Both incidents indicate the
value now attached by the United States
and Turkey to mutual co-operation.
THE MIDDLE EAST
Egypt
The latest reports indicate that the
cholera death-roll continues to rise daily.
Five hundred and sixty-one deaths were
reported in the twenty-four hour period
ending on the 21st October; the highest
number so far recorded. Hitherto most of
the cases have been in the Delta, but the
epidemic has now spread to Leni Suef in
Upper Egypt. Cairo and Alexandria are,
however, only slightly infected. In addi
tion to the vaccine supplied by His
Majesty’s Government (see last week’s
Summary) and by ’Iraq, the French
“ Institut Pasteur” has also sent some
serum to Egypt, and an offer to supply
enough vaccine for half-a-million persons
has recently been made by the South
Korean Interim Government.
One Egyptian infantry battalion, sup
ported by two troops of artillery and one
troop of light tanks—a total force of some
two thousand men—was expected to move
into the El Arish area on the 19th October.
The Minister of Defence has admitted that
the real reason behind the move (which is
ostensibly for training purposes) is the
protection of the Palestine Arabs in the
event of trouble, but he has made it clear
that there is no question of Egyptian
forces entering Palestine so long as British
troops remain there.
A working agreement is reported to
have been reached between the Muslim
Brethren (Ikhwan el Muslimin), the Young
Men’s Muslim Association and the Young
Egypt Party, whose leaders, Saleh Harb
Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. and Ahmed Husain, are apparently
willing to co-operate with Hassan al
Banna, head of the Ikhwan, over future
operations. It remains to be seen, how
ever, whether Hassan al Banna will be able
to bring much cohesion to this group of
parties, all three of which have always
worked separately (sometimes even in
opposition) in the past. The Ikhwan is
already the most powerful youth organisa
tion in the country, but Hassan al Banna is
also believed to be angling to bring the
Socialist Fellah Arabic for ‘peasant’. It was used by British officials to refer to agricultural workers or to members of a social class employed primarily in agricultural labour. Party (a small and rela
tively important group) and the Constitu
tional Liberals under his control.