May 26, 1971

Turkey Could Spark Middle East War

TURKEY - Waiting in line behind a trio of camels to pass through a military check-point just outside Istanbul gives one time to reflect upon the complex issues that plague our most misunderstood ally.

Martial law had been declared the day before our departure on the grounds there existed "a strong, active uprising against the motherland and Republic.

During the preceding six weeks leftist students had kidnapped four persons - including two American soldiers, later released - robbed six banks and bombed several public buildings.  Two large ransoms and the holdups gave the "communistas" students enormous sums of money to carry out their terrorism.

(Post Script: Since this column was written terrorists kidnapped the Israeli consul general at Istanbul, Ephraim Elrom, and demanded the release of all "political prisoners" most of whom were rounded up during a massive man-hunt for the kidnapped American soldiers.  The Turkish government refused the demand, and Elrom was murdered.)

The American kidnappings toppled the government of conservative Suleyman Demirel.  The National Security Council - dominated by the armed forces commanders - installed liberal Nihat Erim who promised to establish law and order, implement reforms and conduct elections.

Interestingly, the armed forces commanders are trying mightily to shove Turkey's many special-interest groups into western-style democracy.  Unlike the military strong men of Greece and Spain, who are rightists, the Turkish commanders are moderate-to-liberal.  They seek to revitalize the reforms of the great Kemal Atatürk who set this nation on the road to modern change nearly 50 years ago.

The ideological diversity of Turkey makes the task seemingly impossible.  Yet, the commanders must succeed or Turkey - rather than Israel or Egypt - may ignite a Middle East War.

A civil war would tempt intervention by Russia which has long coveted the Dardanelles as a free passage from the Black Sea.  Under terms of our NATO treaty, the United States would be obligated to defend Turkey.

Noisiest and most destructive of Turkey's many factions is the radical left.  It seeks state socialism on the Marxist collective model and hates all things western.

Battling them, with guns on occasion, are the right-wing students who advocate unabashed capitalism as the quickest route to the good life.

Eight million peasant Kurds in northeast Turkey agitate for separation into a "homeland" of their own.  They and the leftists sneak across the border into Syria to attend "Che Gueverra" guerrilla training camps.

The labor unions are just beginning to flex their muscles.  They strike to obtain 40-hour weeks and pension plans from industries barely out of the family-operated stage.

An old guard of orthodox Moslems in the villages clings to ancient religious customs which many Turks consider prime contributors of the high rate of illiteracy and the resistance to change.

The so-called "modern" Turks - the largest single group - want representative government, law and order, land reform, graduated income taxes, universal education, industrial expansion through private enterprise, and a strong military allied with the west.

Inevitably, as in the United States, the goals of these groups conflict.  Each special interest faction wants its own way completely.

In lieu of compromise, the military enforces its own wishes which, happily, are conservative enough to keep the peace but liberal enough to ensure attainable reforms.

Turkey is a nation in transition - from archaic east to bustling west, from the age of sultans to the age of space.  A road-block that catches up camel caravans and Chevrolets alike illustrates the great technological and social gap still to be closed.

Capital for expansion is the number-one need of Turkey.  Cheap and willing labor stands ready to produce in volume akin to that of the Japanese if only the tools can be provided.  To fill the vacuum, Turkey courts both east and west investors.

America maintains strong military units in Turkey thus easing the defense burden.  Russia is building a steel mill for Turks in exchange for oranges.  Five nations, including the U.S. and Russia, are cooperating in putting up an oil refinery.

The leaders of Turkey are determined to become self-sufficient and democratic, in accordance with the plan laid down by Atatürk.

Communism, with its centralized bureaucratic control, is no different from last century's oriental monarchy.  The remnants of the once extensive Ottoman Empire are interred in the Topkapi museum, and Turks are determined to keep the repression those artifacts represent an historical curiosity.

The big question remains: can the military prevent anarchy until time and events catch up with Turkey's aspirations?

I found the majority of Turks possess much common sense, so I am making book they will move steadily to freedom and prosperity.

Author: Lindsey Williams