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  Selected Secret Documents from Soviet Foreign Policy Documents Archives - 1919 to 1941

Concentrated on 1st and  2nd WW Correspondence and Meetings related to Turkey, Balkans and Iran, with some additions from Afghanistan and India.

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Recording of the conversation of the  ambassador of the USSR in Turkey  Vinogradov with the minister of foreign affairs of Turkey Saracoglu

October 16, 1941 Soviet secret

Saracoglu summoned me and reported the following response from the Turkish government: “we did not find any indication in our files that these vessels * could be considered auxiliary. If the embassy or your government can confirm to us that the two icebreakers and eight tankers, the names of which you have given me, cannot be regarded as auxiliary vessels in the terms of the second annex of the Montreux convention and that these vessels have never been of a similar nature, the Turkish government sees no difficulty. For the passage of these ships; on the contrary, we will give them the opportunity to go through as you asked. ʺ

I said that I would immediately convey the answer of the Turkish government to the Soviet government.

Saracoglu added that the Turkish government would like to receive the following percentage of oil products: ordinary oil ‐ 27%, gasoline ‐ 32%, aviation gasoline ‐ 5%, motorin ** ‐ 26% and fuel oil ‐ 10%. The minister pointed out that the Turkish government does not want to determine the quantity, it leaves it to the discretion of the Soviet government; the Turkish government would only be desirable to observe the proportion indicated by it in the supply of oil products to Turkey.

I replied that I would convey these wishes to Moscow.

Saracoglu then began to say that the Turkish government needs our written confirmation that the mentioned vessels are not now and were not auxiliary because not so long ago the Italians were denied the passage of the merchant ship Tarvisio, which was previously auxiliary. Recalling the Tarvisio story again, Saracoglu said: “when we have the above confirmation from you, we will be able, if the Italians request it, to prove to them that, unlike Tarvisio, your ships were not auxiliary before. We are ready, ‐ emphasized Saracoglu, ‐ to take the word of the Soviet government in this regard ʺ‐ the minister then asked me why, after all, we turned to the Turkish government with such a request. Did we think there would be difficulties?

I replied that our appeal was caused by the fact that the ships must pass through the territorial waters of Turkey; taking into account the existing relations between our countries, we wanted to better ensure the safety of ships.

Saracoglu said that the Turkish government has nothing against the fact that these ships pass the territorial waters of Turkey. But, the minister added, they will have to do so at their own peril and risk. If something happens to the courts, we will, of course, protest, but we will not be able to go beyond that.

Saracoglu noted that such incidents are very rare, and he is sure that nothing will happen to our ships. The minister recalled in this regard the case of the sinking of a French ship by the British in Turkish territorial waters, then pointed out that there were cases of Italian aircraft flying over the territorial waters of Turkey; the Italians gave, according to the minister, after the protests of the [ets] to the [th] government], an assurance that they would no longer allow this. German planes, according to Saracoglu, did not violate Turkish territorial waters.

I asked the minister if it can be expected that after we give the above confirmation, the Turkish maritime authorities will receive the necessary instructions regarding the passage of our ships.

Saracoglu said that the Turkish maritime authorities are already aware of this issue, since he consulted with them when preparing a decision on this issue.

The minister then asked me if our boat ʺAkker‐manʺ had already gone out to sea. I said that I have no information on this issue. Saracoglu stated that the boat was given 48 hours to repair and was to be supplied with fuel; in addition, he is allowed to enter the Turkish port once on the way to replenish fuel supplies; obviously he had already gone to sea.

Vinogradov wua rf. F. About. On. 3. L. 22.d. 300. L. 60‐61.