Amerykańska pomoc dla Turcji w latach 1947–1952. Perspektywa turecka
The American Aid for Turkey in the Years 1947–1952: A Turkish Perspective

Summary/Abstract: After the end of World War II, Turkey became an important country in Washington’s Middle East policy. In the event of its conflict with the USSR, Ankara would allow US forces to land in the ports of the southern Anatolia and on the islands of the Greek archi- pelago. It also provided a gateway to the Middle East.Therefore, President Harry S. Truman proposed placing Greece and Turkey under a program of economic and military aid aimed at keeping these countries from falling into the USSR’s sphere of influence. The purpose of this article is to look at American aid in its first years, and to answer the questions: Was it sufficient? How did its size compare with other countries that were covered by it?In the literature, one can find the statement that US material aid to Turkey was sub- stantial and was an important part of relations between the two countries. It reflects the opinion of the US authorities, whose opinion was that it was sufficient. However, Ankara hoped that the financial support would be greater and that it would be allocated to the most pressing needs from its point of view. The size of the support for Turkey and Greece relative to the size of these countries was also a problem, unfavorable to Ankara. However, the overriding US and Western interest was to stop the spread of communism, hence the priority was Greece, where a civil war was underway.

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