Evening star., 1939-10-22
$24o,ooo,oooC Credit
Reported Extended
To Turks byAhie
Arms Supply to Bolster
DurduneIIes Defense
Declared Included
By LLOYD LEHRBAS,

hssoclateu Press FOrelen Correspondent.
ANKARA, Oct. 2l.-Britain and
France were reported in reliable
quarters tonight to have followed
up their mutual assistance pact
with Turkey with a 10000 000- 0-pound
credit (about s24O.OOOOO0
The western powers, it was re-
ported. would advance IS 100000
pounds tabout lG0.OOO.00O) of this
sum in the form of arms and am
munition to enable Turkey imme-
diately to strengthen her position
as guardian of the Dardanelles,
gateway to the Black Sea.
There was no confirmation of
this report available tonight either
from Turkish officials or from the
British or French Embassies. But
it was understood that Gen. Maxine
Wevgand, commander in chief of
French forces in the eastern Medi-
terranean, and 1t. Gen. Archibald
p. Wavell, British Middle East COM
mander, had discussed the question
of military equipment for Turkey
in their talks with Turkish staff
officers.
The conversations. which started
Wednesday. ended tonight with a
banquet at the French Embassy.
The French and British command
ers were scheduled to fly back to
| their posts tomorrow.
Saracoglu Reports on Talks.
Meanwhile, high Turkish officials
went into diplomatic huddle
which may have a far-reaching
effect on the fate of Southeastern
Europe in the war.
Foreign Minister Sukru Sara
coglu, returning from Moscow after
three weeks of unsuccessful nego-
tiations for a Turkish Soviet Rus
sian pact, made a report to Presi-
dent Ismet Inonu and the Turkish
cabinet.
Saracoglu gave them. unofficial
sources said, details of Russias de-
mand that the Dardanelles be closed
to British warships, which was re-
ported to have caused the break
down of negotiations.
No official announcement was
made of the actual last-minute de-
mands made by the Kremlin and
diplomatic observers anxiously
awaited revelation of more details
of the conversations.
SaracOglu also was able to give
the cabinet first-hand information
of Soviet diplomacy in dealing with
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Fin
land.
Action Depends on 4 Things.
Diplomatic observers believed the
action now to be taken by the Turk
ish government depended upon:
Whether Russia agrees to re-
sumo negotiations on the basis
of the original formula by which
1t was hoped Turkish Russian
pact would be concluded;
Whether Russia, under German
pressure, makes a new effort to
force wedge between Turkey,
Britain and France despite the
signing of the mutual assistance
pact;
Whether the Soviet extends its
aggressive diplomacy into the
Balkans by making demands on
Rumania for the return of Bessa-
rabia;
Whether Turkey will renew her
efforts to organize neutral Bal
kan entente without Russian ap-
proval or with Italy assuming the
sponsorship in Rome.
Saracoglu gave no hint in his brief
statement to the Turkish press what
developments might be expected
next.
The foreign minister, who arrived
at Istanbul yesterday aboard a So
Wet warship, came here by train
today. Crowds gathered to cheer
him at stations across the Ankara
plains en- route and he was met here
by large gathering of Turkish OH
cials and foreign diplomats.