The Soviet – American Clash over the Turkish Straits: the August 1946 Crisis
The Soviet – American Clash over the Turkish Straits: the August 1946 Crisis

Summary/Abstract: What happened in foreign relations of Turkey, at the end of the World War II is, without no doubt, one of the causes for the ex–Allies ideological conflict, later known as Cold War. My paper is focused on one important moment: the Soviet Note of August 7, 1946, regarding the Montreux Convention. There are highlighted different points of view, from the United States and Soviet Union, referring to this crisis. I try to demonstrate that, also, the 1946 crisis cannot be detached from what happened in 1945, in connection with Turkey and with the whole Balkans, where Soviet political and military power imposed its will. That event (the Strait Crisis) – often treated in a brief manner by the historians – has a double meaning: on one hand, Soviet Union failed to achieve its goals in the Straits; on the other hand, United States adopted a firmer stance into the direction of supporting Turkey, even taking into account the possibility of using force.

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