British Ambassador Noel Charles and Turkey’s Agenda (1949-1951)

Year 2020, Volume: 1 Issue: 2, 56 - 76, 20.06.2020

Betül Batır

Abstract

Noel Charles’ three-year service in Turkey as the British ambassador in the time period between 1949 and 1951, when Turkey’s domestic and foreign policy were active and changeable, is discussed within the scope of Turkey’s agenda at that time. The events in which Noel Charles took part and became actively involved have been determined in the light of Turkey’s political-military, cultural-social and commercial agenda based on the press and archival resources of the period. On the basis of the foreign relations, Turkey's campaign for NATO membership and British government’s desire to maintain its existence in the Middle East as a powerful state prompted the rapprochement between Britain and Turkey in this period. The fact that that Soviet Russia was a common enemy and the United States was a common ally can be considered as one of the main factors in this rapprochement. In our study, the amicable relations established between Britain and Turkey in the time period between 1949 and 1951 are addressed, and it is aimed to present Noel Charles’ perspective of Turkey, his special travels in Turkey, personal point of view and feelings through the available data. The relations between Turkey and Britain during a-three-year working period of an ambassador have been reviewed within a limited frame.

Keywords

Noel Charles, Turkey, Britian, the Middle East, NATO

References

• Bibliography
• Documents
• FO371/95267/RK1011/1, Turkey: Annual Review for 1950 (Turkey: 1950 Annual Review), From Noel Charles to Bevin, January 13, 1951.
• Republic Archive, nr. 30.10.00.131.941.16.
• Republic Archive, nr. 30.18.01.02.120.66.13.
• Republic Archive, nr. 30.10.00.41.242.24.
• Newspapers
• Cumhuriyet
• Milliyet
• The London Gazette
• The Courier-Mail
• The Canberra Times
• Zafer
• Books & Articles
• AKŞİN Sina, Brief History of Turkey, 9th Edition, İstanbul: Türkiye İş Bankası Publications, 2009. ARMAOĞLU Fahir, 20th Century Political History 1914-1995, 11th Edition, Ankara: Alkım Publishing House.
• ESEN Mekki Said, “Ankara negotiations of Yesterday”, Cumhuriyet, October 14, 1951, p.1.
• NADİ Nadir, “Power Struggles that Degenerate Democracy-Behind the Counter”, Cumhuriyet, 27th September 1964, p.4.
• TAMÇELİK Soyalp, “Strategic importance of British bases in Cyprus”, International Journal of Human Sciences, Volume:8, Issue:1, Year:2011, p. 1510-1539.
• YEŞİLBURSA Behçet Kemal, “Turkey’s Middle Eastern Policy during the Democrat Party Era (1950-1960)”, History Studies, 2010, Volume:2, Issue: Special Issue, p. 67-98.
• YEŞİLBURSA Behçet Kemal, “Economic Developments in Turkey During The Democrat Party Era (1950-1960)”, Abant İzzet Baysal University Journal of Social Sciences Institute, Volume:2005-1, Issue:10, p.207-239.
• YEŞİLBURSA Behçet Kemal, “The Straits Questions According to British Documents (1774-1953)”, International Symposium on Karamürsel Alp & History of Kocaeli- II, Volume: 1, Kocaeli 2016, p. 1621-1635.
• YEŞİLBURSA Behçet Kemal, “An Overview of Turkey's Foreign Policy during the Democratic Party Era (1950-1960)”, Alternative Politics, Volume:1, Issue:2, September 2009, pp.142-193.
• Çevrimiçi https://www.tobb.org.tr/UlkeRehberi/Documents/Ulkeler/ingiltere/bcc_of_TR.pdf (Erişim Tarihi: 20 Nisan 2020)