Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950, The Near East, South Asia, and Africa, Volume V

795B.5/8–1950

The Secretary of State to the Turkish Ambassador (Erkin)

The Secretary of State presents his compliments to His Excellency the Ambassador of the Turkish Republic and, in confirmation of a conversation on August 11, 1950, between the Turkish Chargé d’Affaires ad interim¹ and an officer of the Department, informs him that the Government of the United States, acting in its capacity as the Unified Command, has accepted the Turkish Government’s offer to the United Nations of a combat force to serve in Korea.² It is understood that, as agreed by the Turkish Government,³ discussions regarding implementation of the offer will take place in Ankara between officials of the Turkish Government, the American Embassy, and the American Mission for Aid to Turkey.

Washington, August 19, 1950.

1. Melih Esenbel.
2. Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuat Köprülü offered “to place at the disposal of the United Nations a Turkish combat force of 4,500 men to serve in Korea” (cablegram, July 26, to U.N. Secretary-General Trygve H. Lie, U.N. doc. S/1630). For documentation on Korea, see volume vii .
3. The Turkish Embassy in Washington informed the Department of this agreement (Department’s telegram 91, August 16, to Ankara, 795B.5/8–1150, not printed).