The sinews of war : Turkey, chromite, and the Second World War
Author(s)
Advisor
Criss, Nur BilgeDate
2008Publisher
Bilkent University
Language
English
Type
ThesisItem Usage Stats
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Abstract
This thesis is an historical narrative examining the role of Turkish trade in
chromite ore during the Second World War. It primarily seeks to understand how this
trade impacted Turkey’s status as a neutral power while also looking at how this trade
affected Turkish-American relations.
In addition to a survey of the secondary literature, substantial amounts of primary
source documents in the US National Archives from the US Departments of State and
Interior as well as the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) were used.
This thesis argues that Turkish statesmen successfully used trade in chromite as a
bargaining tool to maintain Turkish neutrality throughout the war. It also argues that
British and American efforts to monopolize chromite trade and block German access to
the ore largely failed.