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provided to Turkey. The Mediterranean route would be

temporarily closed and the Red Sea route liable to serious

interruption. We should have to provide for the defence

and internal security of our own territories and to

eliminate the threat to our sea communications from the

Dodecanese. Our first pre-occupation would, therefore,

be the defeat of Italy. Nevertheless Allied Forces in

the Middle East are now being increased and it may prove

possible to send some assistance to Thrace despite Italian

hostility. Such assistance would, however, be restricted

to the Forces which could be moved over the Anatolian

Railways, until the threat to our sea communications had

been countered,

6,

You are hereby authorised to discuss in general

terms the hypothesis of a hostile Italy, in order to

ascertain Turkish views and to find out what particular

situation the Turks had in mind when they asked for

information about our attitude in the event of a hostile

Italy. You should explain to the Turks that we fully

appreciate the necessity for more detailed discussion on

this hypothesis but we feel that the subject is so

important that it would be better discussed on

Commanders-in-Chief level.

Meanwhile, to facilitate

subsequent discussion by Commanders-in-Chief you should

explore with the Turkish Staff the following points:-

(a) The details of Turkish plans for the defence

of Thrace and Eastern Anatolia, and the reduction of the Dodecanese. The Turkish request for 20 Allied divisions to assist in the defence of Thrace should give you an opening for a request to be informed of these plans.

(b) The scales of German, Russian and Bulgarian

attack which the Turks anticipate.

(c) The capacity of the Anatolian railways and the

extent to which the Turks are prepared to allot these railways to the Allies.

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