between the two countries after promulgation of the Truman Doctrine addressed the need for of agricultural, mineral, and other products to domestic markets and to Turkish “the movement ports for export to countries in urgent need of such Turkish surpluses as food and Turkey coal.” was given a particular role in postwar economic reconstruction as a source of agricultural goods for Europe, necessitating the transfer of agricultural machinery and expertise through Marshall Plan funds. By the time the European Recovery Program was extended to Turkey, it was expected to fulfill its role the envisaged division of labor in the world As Dorr “along market.” disclosed in internal correspondence, the Turkish economy is our business and when it comes down to questions of priorities, ours must be the last word.” During this period, American experts were summoned to prepare reports on Turkey, among them Max Thornburg, the oil magnate, and representatives from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Their reports, which were quite influential in the new economic policies that were being devised, identified shortcomings in infrastructure and capital as the chief obstacle interfering with rural development. Thornburg, for instance, noted disapprovingly that the were under the spell of the Soviet passion for magnificent “Turks planning and construction of heavy and recommended encouraging foreign capital, industries,” specializing in agricultural commodities, and importing manufactured goods instead. His brief discussion of the land reform law of 1945 was of this law has been dismissive (“the execution impeded by political with his harsh indictment of existing industrial considerations”), compared projects, such as the Karabük steel plant, which he deemed an and a “economic monstrosity” wasteful of the demand of the Karabuk steel mill for coal and ore, investment: “Largely because in 1946 thousands of tons of cereals had to be left rotting in the central plateau, served only by
between the two countries after promulgation of the Truman Doctrine addressed the need for “the movement of agricultural, mineral, and other products to domestic markets and to Turkish ports for export to countries in urgent need of such Turkish surpluses as food and coal.” Turkey was given a particular role in postwar economic reconstruction as a source of agricultural goods for Europe, necessitating the transfer of agricultural machinery and expertise through Marshall Plan funds. By the time the European Recovery Program was extended to Turkey, it was expected to fulfill its role “along the envisaged division of labor in the world market.” As Dorr disclosed in internal correspondence, the Turkish economy is our business and when it comes down to questions of priorities, ours must be the last word.” During this period, American experts were summoned to prepare reports on Turkey, among them Max Thornburg, the oil magnate, and representatives from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Their reports, which were quite influential in the new economic policies that were being devised, identified shortcomings in infrastructure and capital as the chief obstacle interfering with rural development. Thornburg, for instance, noted disapprovingly that the “Turks were under the spell of the Soviet passion for magnificent planning and construction of heavy industries,” and recommended encouraging foreign capital, specializing in agricultural commodities, and importing manufactured goods instead. His brief discussion of the land reform law of 1945 was dismissive (“the execution of this law has been impeded by political considerations”), compared with his harsh indictment of existing industrial projects, such as the Karabük steel plant, which he deemed an “economic monstrosity” and a wasteful investment: “Largely because of the demand of the Karabuk steel mill for coal and ore, in 1946 thousands of tons of cereals had to be left rotting in the central plateau, served only by
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