Visit of the Prime Minister of the Iron Castle, Adnan Menderes, to the USA (1954)

Abstract

Turkey has been in the Western Bloc since the first years of the Cold War Era and has systematically acted in line with US policies in the economic, social, political and cultural fields. The dedication shown by the Turkish army in the Korean War led to an increase in bilateral relations with the USA at the political and economic level. As a matter of fact, US aid to Turkey and membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1952 were the most obvious symbols of this situation. The concept of "Iron Castle", which we do not often encounter in Turkish foreign policy literature, began to be mentioned since those days. This concept was used not only for the mission represented by NATO, but also for Turkey's current position within the framework of its policy of containing the Soviet Union.

After Turkey's NATO membership, economic growth was observed until 1954, especially with Marshall Aid. However, in order to continue this development and solve the balance of payments, new agreements were made with the USA. For this purpose, a loan of 300 million dollars was requested from the USA immediately after the 1954 General Elections. In this context, Prime Minister Adnan Menderes's trip to America was important in itself. While Menderes was in America, he made various requests, especially regarding loans. This first-hand diplomatic strategy would not be a permanent solution in the long run. After the economic crisis in 1955, the Menderes Government would resign and political turmoil would begin to increase in Turkey. In our study, periodicals were mainly used to examine Prime Minister Adnan Menderes' trip to the USA and its reflection on Turkish-American relations.