Ext 6116/46(S) 'Secret Weekly Political Intelligence Summaries, nos 356-416, August 1946-November 1947' [‎249v] (506/978)

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countries, Bulgaria would no doubt be very
glad, were she allowed, to follow Czecho
slovakia in accepting the Anglo-French
invitation to this Saturday’s economic
conference in Paris.
Turkey
It was not surprising that Turkey was
among the first countries to signify an
intention of accepting the Anglo-French
invitation. For, in the first place, she
remains true to Atatiirk’s policy of seeking
to be European rather than Asiatic.
Secondly, she could hardly fail to associate
herself with a move which, in her eyes at
least, is primarily designed to strengthen
Europe against Russia. Turkish opinion
was from the outset highly sceptical about
the Russian attitude to Mr. Marshall’s
offer. It was seen as a momentous event
which put the Soviet Union in a quandary
and provided a nice acid test for the satel
lites. Several commentators took the line
that Soviet prestige had recently declined
and was now in danger of falling still
further.
In recent months leading Turks have
given repeated indications of their total
inability to understand why the British
Government should think it worth while to
cultivate the friendship of the Soviet
Union. Turkey’s utter dependence on
British and American support in the face
of Russian pressure explains such Turkish
criticism of British policy. But the fact
that the Commander-in-Chief, Mediter
ranean, who is shortly to take a squadron
on a courtesy visit to Istanbul, will then
proceed to do the same at Sevastopol, seems
to have touched the Turks on the raw. The
Vatari made an unexpectedly violent attack
on British policy towards Russia as one of
fatal indecision, evasion and appeasement,
and it condemned the Sevastopol visit as
another Munich calculated to make the
Kremlin persist in its evil policy. The
editor, M. Ahmet Emin Yalman, is an
astute person and, though a supporter of
the Opposition, unlikely to have published
so bitter a protest unless he were assured
that it would not be altogether displeasip^
to the Government. • A
On the 28th June M. Celal Bayar, the
leader of the Democratic (Opposition)
party, made a speech of some importance to
what seems to have been a large gathering
at Sivas, a town generally regarded as a
stronghold of the Republican People’s
(Government) Party. According to the
press, after again disclaiming all connec
tion with Communism, he dwelt on the
disabilities from which his party suffered
owing to the animosity of the administra
tion, to the headship of the State being
vested in the leader of the Republican
People’s Party, to the wireless and
Halkevis (people’s institutes) being
unavailable for the Democratic Party and,
most of all, to the unfair conduct of
elections. The Prime Minister (M. Recep
Peker), he said, had flatly denied to him
that there was any animosity or discrimina
tion. M. Celal Bayar had then approached
the President of the Republic and there
upon President Inonii had obtained from
the Prime Minister a promise that there
should be no official pressure against the
Opposition. President Inbnii had more
over repeated his own keen desire for the
existence of more than a single party. All
this caused much discussion in the press,
and it was stated, with some appearance
of truth, that in the inner councils of the
hitherto dominant Republican People’s
Party it had already been decided to make
the concession of dissociating the two
presidencies—that of the State from that
of the Party.
THE MIDDLE EAST
Egypt
The Egyptian press on the 1st July
published a report that an agreed text of
Egypt’s claim, to be laid before the
Security Council, had been sent by air to
the Egyptian Ambassador in Washington
the previous day, there to remain until the
Prime Minister gives instructions for its
presentation. Later reports indicate that
these instructions may not now be long
delayed. The Mussawar alleges that a
large section of the Opposition is against
reference to the Security Council on the
ground that once a decision has been
reached there—and it might well be one
unfavourable to Egypt-—*it might be impos
sible to repair the situation. Therefore,
the re-opening of direct negotiations with
His Majesty’s Government is advocated.
The same view seems to be held by respon
sible representatives of the other Arab
States also, although it is difficult to see
how Nokrashy Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. can now avoid making
an appeal to the United Nations, even
though he may hope and work for a recom
mendation that direct discussions should
be resumed. Even so, the hostility of the
Wafd is not likely to be appeased, and there