The Raid in the Editorial Office of the Turkish Newspaper Tan, 1945, and Its Impact on the State of Soviet-Turkish and Us Turkish Relations in the Post-Wwii Period

Abstract

The author examines the demonstrations carried out by university students in Istanbul on December 4, 1945 and the raid on the printing operations of the pro-Soviet 7an newspaper, known as the Tan Raid, in light of U.S. State Department documents, namely the related files in National Archives Records Administration. The influence of the Tan Raid on Turkey's international relations is discussed in the context of Turkish-American and Turkish-Soviet relations. The Raid is regarded as a significant incident since it coincides with the post WW2 period when Turkey's relations with the Soviet Union had already deteriorated due to Moscow's demands to revise the Montreux Convention by 19th of March 1945. Furthermore, Turkish-American diplomatic contacts in the aftermath of the Raid show Washington's perspective on policy towards Soviet Union, as U.S. officials advised a moderate line to their Turkish counterparts. On the other hand, preparations for the Raid seem highly controversial since Turkish government officials did not strongly condemn the event and the police did not intervene against the protestors despite of their violent actions towards Tan and some left leaning bookstores. The slogans during the demonstration show its anti-Soviet character, which Ankara denied in order to decrease tensions with the Soviets by arguing that it was Tan's owner, the Sertel couple to whom the anger was directed, not the Soviet Union. The intelligence obtained by diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, the meetings they conducted with Turkish politicians, their conclusions regarding the process leading up to the raid, and their opinions on Turkish-Soviet relations provide the background for the analysis.