Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, The Near East and Africa, Volume V

867.00/12–447: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in Turkey

restricted

Washington, December 4, 1947—8 p. m.

692. Patsu 45. Air Force Dept letter Dec 2¹ requests Dept approval ceiling 100 total personnel Air Force Group Aid Mission. This includes both military and civilian without specification number each. Present understanding ceiling 30 military and unspecified civilian. Air Force states recruitment qualified civilian technical personnel short term assignment extremely difficult. Also that 100 minimum total requirement as above. If you approve Dept prepared ask Nat’l Security Council approval Air Force request and notify Chairmen Congressional Committees Foreign Relations and Affairs Dept intention this respect. McBride² familiar Air Force problems and request. Confer McBride his arrival Ankara and forward recommendations.³

Lovett

1. Not printed.
2. Maj. Gen. Horace L. McBride, Chief of the U.S. Army Group in the American Mission for Aid to Turkey.
3. Ambassador Wilson advised, in telegram 951, Ustap 61, December 12, that he and General McBride believed the Air Force request justified (867.00/12–1247). On January 7, 1948, Acting Secretary Lovett informed Secretary Symington that the Department of State approved “a personnel ceiling of approximately 100 for the United States Air Force Group of the Mission for Aid to Turkey, without regard to the number of civilian or military personnel within this total strength.” (867.20 Missions/12–247) The Department sent similar information to Ankara the same day in telegram 11, Patsu 54, noting also that there had been no reference of the matter to the National Security Council (867.00/12–1247).