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TURKEY AND GREECE AND THE NORTH
ATLANTIC TREATY
Memorandum by the Chiefs of Staff
We set out below the military implications of admitting Greece and Turkey to full membership of N.A,T.O.
Strategic Importance of Turkey and Greece
2.
The strategic importance of Turkey and Greece in the defence
of the Mediterranean can be summarised as follows:-
3.
(a) The denial of their territory to enemy forces.
(b) The denial to enemy naval units of passage through the Bosphorus
and Dardanelles.
(c) The use of the countries' naval and air bases.
(d) The protection of sea lines of communication in the eastern
Mediterranean.
Both on land and in the air Turkey is an integral part of the Middle East strategical area; a rapid collapse of Turkey in the face of Russian aggression would be disastrous to Allied plans for the defence of Egypt.
Military Disadvantages and Advantages of admitting Greece and Turkey to N.A.T.O.
4.
Disadvantages
(a) Turkey is primarily a Middle East country and can only play
a small part in European defence, particularly as there is little likelihood of her effectively defending Thrace. If Turkey is given full membership of N.A.T.O. there is the danger that she will be drawn into SHAPE's orbit at the expense of Middle East defence. This danger does, in fact, already exist and is made no worse by the inclusion of Turkey in N.A.T.O.
(b) The United States, and to a lesser extent the United Kingdom, may be
pressed to divert forces and resources for the defence of Greece and Turkey. Military assistance to Greece would inevitably be used in European defence. Moreover, as a corollary to 4(a) above, it is likely that any military assistance which we provided to Turkey might be applied primarily to European defence as opposed to Middle East defence; thus it would be provided at the expense of our plans for a successful defence of the Middle East.
(c) If Turkey and Greece are given full membership of N.A.T.O, it is likely
that other Middle East countries may press for similar membership. Such claims could, however, fairly easily be resisted since these countries have no connection with European defence.
(d) The inclusion of Greece and Turkey in N.A.T.O. would add two extra
members to an already large team and would present additional Pacurity/affd58@ministrative problems. It would also addfw87 additional members to those N.A.T.O. Committees on which all Nations are represented.
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