Picking the Winner

Reorganization of the Turkish Cabinet last fortnight produced substantial evidence that Turkey's ruling clique, while clinging to strictly pro-Turkish neutrality, was ready to wager on Allied victory.

Five new Cabinet members represented an infusion of young, new blood into the government (the oldest of the new men was 42) rather than new ideas. Said Premier Suekrue Saracoglu last week: "The newcomers are like soldiers who relieve the guards." At the same time he uttered fulsome praise of Great Britain, which has worked hard for Turkish favor.

Symbolic of the Cabinet's viewpoint was one of its first acts: suspension (for two days) of the reactionary Istanbul newspaper Tasviri Efkar, for deriding America's war aims. Symbolic of unchanged domestic policies were the trainloads of minority Greeks, Armenians and Jews still leaving for prison-camp rock-piles because they could not meet a new capital tax.

President Inoenue emerged as the master of Turkey with Saracoglu as his principal deputy. Tough, shrewd, brilliant Foreign Minister Numan Menemencioglu, whose feigned tantrums pull him through many an unpleasant interview, remained as powerful as ever. The country's only recognized political party had seen to it that Publisher Yunus Nadi, spearhead of Axis propaganda in Turkey, was not re-elected to the Grand National Assembly.

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