AN ERA OF NON-STRATEGIC ALLIANCE: TURCO-AMERICAN RELATIONS, 1927-1939 A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY YASEMİN MEMİOĞLU IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF LATIN AND NORTH AMERICAN STUDIES APRIL 2021 Approval of the thesis: AN ERA OF NON-STRATEGIC ALLIANCE: TURCO-AMERICAN RELATIONS, 1927-1939 submitted by YASEMİN MEMİOĞLU in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Latin and North American Studies, the Graduate School of Social Sciences of Middle East Technical University by, Prof. Dr. Yaşar KONDAKÇI Dean Graduate School of Social Sciences Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bahar GÜRSEL Head of Department Department of Latin and North American Studies Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bahar GÜRSEL Supervisor Department of History Examining Committee Members: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aylin TOPAL (Head of the Examining Committee) Middle East Technical University Department of Political Science and Public Administration Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bahar GÜRSEL (Supervisor) Middle East Technical University Department of History Assist. Prof. Dr. Kenneth WEISBRODE Bilkent University Department of History PLAGIARISM I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last Name: Yasemin MEMİOĞLU Signature: iii ABSTRACT AN ERA OF NON-STRATEGIC ALLIANCE: TURCO-AMERICAN RELATIONS, 1927-1939 MEMİOĞLU, Yasemin M.S., Latin and North American Studies Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bahar GÜRSEL April 2021, 153 pages Upon the rejection of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce signed between Turkey and the United States in Lausanne in 1923 by the U.S. Senate in 1927, President Calvin Coolidge initiated diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1927 through the exchange of notes. This thesis examines the Turkish - American relations between 1927 and 1939, and questions whether the U.S. Presidents Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt had a significant influence in the bilateral relations. It also further analyzes the foreign policies, economic situation and dynamics of the United States in the 1920s and 1930s that generated an impact on bilateral relations, and also evaluates the nature of the Turkish-American relations until the World War II. This thesis concludes that there was no significant conflict in the Turco- American relationship until World War II, yet the U.S. Presidents did not have a significant influence in the bilateral relations, and the two countries did not establish a strategic partnership during this period. Keywords: Turkish-American relations, Coolidge, Hoover, Roosevelt, Atatürk iv ÖZ STRATEJİK OLMAYAN ORTAKLIK DÖNEMİ: TÜRK-AMERİKAN İLİŞKİLERİ, 1927-1939 MEMİOĞLU, Yasemin Yüksek Lisans, Latin ve Kuzey Amerika Çalışmaları Tez Yöneticisi: Doç. Dr. Bahar GÜRSEL Nisan 2021, 153 sayfa 1923 yılında Türkiye ve ABD arasında Lozan’da imzalanan Dostluk ve Ticaret Anlaşması’nın Amerikan Senatosu tarafından 1927 yılında onaylanmaması üzerine, Başkan Calvin Coolidge nota teatisi yoluyla 1927 yılında iki ülke arasında diplomatik ilişkileri başlattı. Bu tez, 1927 - 1939 yılları arasındaki Türkiye - Amerika Birleşik Devleti ilişkilerini incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu çalışma, dönemin ABD Başkanları Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover ve Franklin Delano Roosevelt’in ikili ilişkilerde önemli bir etkisi olup olmadığını sorgulamaktadır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda, ABD’nin 1920’ler ve 1930’lar dış siyasetini, ekonomik durumunu ve ikili ilişkilere etkisi olabilecek dinamikleri analiz etmekte, aynı zamanda İkinci Dünya Savaşı’na kadar Türk-Amerikan ilişkisinin doğasını değerlendirmektedir. Bu tez, II. Dünya Savaşı’na kadar ABD ve Türkiye’nin önemli bir çatışma yaşamadığı, ABD başkanlarının ikili ilişkilerde önemli bir etkisi olmadığı ve tarafların bu dönemde stratejik bir ortaklık kurmadığı sonucuna varmaktadır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Türkiye Amerika ilişkileri, Coolidge, Hoover, Roosevelt, Atatürk v DEDICATION To my family vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my sincere and deepest gratitude to my supervisor Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bahar GÜRSEL for her guidance, advice, patience, encouragements and positive energy throughout the research. I would also like to thank the examining committee members, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aylin TOPAL and Assist. Prof. Dr. Kenneth WEISBRODE for their priceless feedbacks, suggestions and critiques. I would like to take a moment to thank to my husband Ali and my daughter Miray for their support and patience, relieving my stress during the thesis process. Special thanks to my father, my mother, my sister, my brothers, and my nephew for their invaluable encouragements. Last but not least, I am very thankful to my colleagues for their moral support. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM ............................................................................................................ iii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ iv ÖZ ................................................................................................................................. v DEDICATION ............................................................................................................ vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................... vii TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ...................................................................................... x CHAPTERS 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 2. THE UNITED STATES....................................................................................... 7 2.1. The Republican Era ....................................................................................... 7 2.1.1. Post-World War I Years ......................................................................... 7 2.1.2. Harding Era: Return to Normalcy ........................................................ 11 2.1.3. From Coolidge to Hoover .................................................................... 15 2.1.4. Great Depression .................................................................................. 18 2.2. Foreign Policy of the Republicans in the 1920s .......................................... 22 2.2.1. League of Nations and the World Court .............................................. 22 2.2.2. Naval Disarmament .............................................................................. 27 2.2.3. Outlaw War .......................................................................................... 30 2.3. Roosevelt Administration ............................................................................ 33 2.3.1. The New Deal ....................................................................................... 34 2.4. Foreign Policy of Roosevelt: 1933-1939 .................................................... 39 3. TURKISH-AMERICAN RELATIONS: 1927 – 1939....................................... 45 3.1. Historical Background of the Bilateral Relations and the Young Republic 45 3.2. Bilateral Relations in the Republicans Era .................................................. 52 3.2.1. Initiation of Diplomatic Relations ........................................................ 53 3.2.2. Appointment of Ambassadors .............................................................. 56 3.2.3. American Schools in Turkey ................................................................ 61 3.2.4. Commencement of Treaty Relations .................................................... 75 3.2.4.1. Negotiations of Treaties of Arbitration and Conciliation .............. 75 3.2.4.2. The Kellogg-Briand Pact ............................................................... 77 3.2.4.3. Negotiations of Treaty of Commerce ............................................ 79 viii 3.2.4.4. Negotiations of the Treaty of Residence and Establishment ........ 83 3.3. Bilateral Relations in the Roosevelt Era ..................................................... 87 3.3.1. Treaty Relations ................................................................................... 89 3.3.1.1. The Claims Agreement ................................................................. 89 3.3.1.2. Extradition Treaty ......................................................................... 99 3.3.2. Revision in the Straits Regime ........................................................... 103 3.3.3. The Forty Days of Musa Dagh Issue ................................................. 109 3.3.4. Diplomacy in Trade Relations ........................................................... 111 3.3.5. The Reciprocal Trade Agreement ...................................................... 117 4. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................ 125 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................... 130 APPENDICES A. TURKISH SUMMARY / TÜRKÇE ÖZET ................................................... 142 B. THESIS PERMISSION FORM / TEZ İZİN FORMU ...................................