NATO: The Turks Want In

For months, Turkey has fired suggestions at Washington asking that 1) Turkey be admitted to NATO, or 2) that the U.S. sponsor a regional Mid-Eastern security organization to be linked with

NATO. Washington, while warmly praising Turkish bravery in Korea, refused to commit itself. Last week the Turks tried another tack. Turkey's Ambassador in Washington formally invited the U.S. to join the British-French-Turkish mutual-assistance pact of 1939, which obliges the three nations to "lend all aid and assistance in their power" in case one is attacked.*

The State Department said that it was "studying" the invitation, but the chances were that it would be politely declined. Washington keeps telling Turkey that it is deeply interested in Turkish security, but cannot see its way clear to giving Turkey a place in NATO. The fact remained that Turkey and the whole Middle East must sooner or later be brought solidly into the Western front—and a lot of military men in Washington, clearly worried about Turkey's security, feel that later might be too late.