The Rise of the Third Reich

At the Geneva Peace Conference in June 1940, not all the representatives of the countries were busy with various mediations and transactions. At least one country's delegation was very dull. After arriving in Geneva, they directly lived in their consulate general in Geneva and became homebodies. Except for the conference held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, which they had to attend, they basically did not see guests, let alone participate in any mediations and transactions. It seemed that they just came to Geneva to make soy sauce.

However, the country they represented should be an important participant in this Geneva Peace Conference. They are the delegation of the Republic of Turkey.

"Leader, Marshal," German Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey von Papen said to Hitler and Hersmann on June 17, "The reason why Turkish Prime Minister Refik Seydam personally led a delegation to Geneva was not to reach any agreement, but to reach no agreement. He was mainly worried that Turkish diplomats would be misled by us and do something in Geneva that would undermine Turkey's neutrality, so he personally led the team here."

"Marshal," Adolf Hitler looked directly at Hersmann with his deep gray-blue eyes, "You have always believed that Turkey is the key to our victory in the war?"

"Yes," Hersmann said, "They did It is a key factor! Turkey controls our gateway to the Middle East by land. If Turkey agrees to allow our troops to pass through, our troops can occupy the Suez Canal in a maximum of one month and put Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia and British Kuwait under the protection of the empire. These four countries have rich oil resources, enough to meet the entire European demand for oil. "Iraq and Iran are now the main sources of oil for Britain. Although Saudi Arabia and British Kuwait do not produce oil on a large scale now, as early as 1937 and 1938, rich reserves of oil resources that are very easy to develop were discovered in the deserts of these two countries. Moreover, Iraq and Iran have been oppressed by Britain for a long time, so they regard Britain's rival Germany as a savior and are very pro-German. If Turkey can develop a channel, it will be no problem for the German army to enter Iraq and Iran. In addition, the French Syrian authorities are now also under the leadership of the Pétain government. If the German army can pass through Turkey, it can immediately take over the French military facilities and regime in Syria and turn it into a major German stronghold in the Middle East. If Rommel's armored forces went south from Syria in history and were supplied with oil by Iraq and Iran. Even if the British had three heads and six arms, they could not defend the Suez Canal.

Once the Suez Canal was lost, Britain's maritime power in the eastern Mediterranean would be over, and Britain's presence in the western Mediterranean would not last for a few days. Because Britain only has a large stronghold like Gibraltar on the west coast of the Mediterranean, it is very easy to be blocked and monitored.

Precisely because of Turkey's key position, after the outbreak of World War II, Germany, Britain and France were trying to win over Turkey.

Of course, the two sides have different requirements for Turkey. Britain and France, or more accurately, Britain and the United States now require Turkey to be neutral, using neutrality and Turkey's mountainous terrain to block Germany's passage to the south of the Middle East.

Germany hopes that Turkey can become a staunch ally of Germany as it did in the last world war. In return, Germany will help Turkey partially restore its lost empire. The proposal to abolish the Treaty of Sevres and the Treaty of Lausanne at the Geneva Peace Conference was to clearly convey Germany's goodwill to the Turkish government.

But Turkey, an empire that once frightened European Christian civilization, has now lost its ambition and only wants to live a peaceful life in its own Asia Minor Peninsula.

"Mr. Prime Minister, thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule." Colonel Donovan seems to be a very powerful person, or the Wall Street tycoons behind him are powerful enough. In short, he has now met the Turkish Prime Minister who is hiding in the consulate general as a homebody.

Wearing a well-tailored suit, black wooden frame glasses, and a very European look, Prime Minister Refik Seydam looks like an old-school European politician who is a little older, cunning and leak-proof.

He smiled at the visiting Donovan and spoke fluent English: "Colonel, I'm not busy at all now, because the things to be discussed at the Geneva Peace Conference have nothing to do with Turkey."

"No relationship?" Donovan was stunned, "Aren't you Turkey a signatory to the Treaty of Lausanne?"

"Yes, we are a signatory to the Treaty of Lausanne." Refik Seydam said.

"But now the Germans want to abolish this treaty."

"Turkey has no objection to this," Refik Seydam said seriously, "We Turkey have always abided by international law and the League of Nations."

Donovan was shocked by the Turkish Prime Minister's statement, "You are going to stand on the side of Germany?"

Prime Minister Refik Seydam shook his head and said, "Colonel, why do you have such an opinion? Do you think there is an inevitable connection between the abolition of the Treaty of Lausanne and Turkey's participation in the war?"

"Isn't it?" Donovan asked, "Once the Treaty of Lausanne is abolished, Turkey can take back the territory of the Arab region and the island of Cyprus, right?"

Prime Minister Refik Seydam looked at Donovan in surprise: "Ah, is this how you Americans view international law? Do you think that territorial division is as simple as land sales, and that if the sales contract is invalid, the land can be taken back?"

"Um..." Donovan looked at the Turkish Prime Minister in front of him, "You mean that Turkey does not intend to take back the territory in the Arab region?"

Prime Minister Refik Saidam laughed and said: "The territory in the Arab region does not belong to Turkey, it is the territory of the Ottoman Sultan as the Caliphate. And Turkey expelled the Ottoman Sultan and abolished the caliphate system twenty years ago. .So the Arab region has nothing to do with Turkey!”

This is obviously confusing right and wrong, but it is a soft nail that makes it difficult for Germany to oppose.

"But what about the public opinion in Turkey?" Donovan still felt uneasy. "You know, the Germans are very good at stirring up radical sentiments."

"There is no radicalism in Turkey," Prime Minister Refik Saidam said with a smile. "Turkey only has Kemalism. We are neither pan-YSLists nor pan-Turkism. Turkey is Turkey!"

Unlike the chaotic Yugoslavia, Turkey has a powerful ruling group - the Turkish Republican People's Party founded by Kemal. Although the party did not conform to British and American aesthetics, the existence of this party saved Britain from annihilation in 1940. Because the Republican People's Party has enough power to suppress domestic nationalists, and at the same time, it will not become cannon fodder for Britain and the United States just because it loves democracy and freedom.

“So, can you guarantee that Turkey will not side with Germany against the free world in the future?”

Prime Minister Refik Saidam shook his head and said: "Colonel, I don't know what will happen in the future, and the future is not in the hands of a country like Turkey. It is you, the United States, who determine the future. Now everyone in Europe knows that, Only when the United States joins the war can Germany lose. And Turkey, no matter what, can no longer stand with the loser. Although we don't want to gain anything, we don't want to lose what we have. In order to keep what we have, we will have to. Don’t cooperate with the devil when necessary!”

…

"It doesn't want to gain anything, and it doesn't want to lose anything. This is Turkey's position!" German Ambassador to Turkey von Papen also mentioned Turkey's attitude towards the world war. "I think... they're going to stay out of it!"

"This is actually helping Britain. The Turks have always been like this. They are good at exploiting the contradictions among us Europeans to achieve the purpose of expansion..." Hitler came to a conclusion, and then he asked Hessmann, "Marshal, should we consider it?" Invasion of Turkey?"

"Leader," Hessmann said, shaking his head, "the terrain in Turkey is not favorable to invaders, and we are likely to be mired in Asia Minor."

"Then what should we do?" Hitler asked in a calm, cold tone, "Is our German Empire just being fooled by the Turks?"

"Leaders, they will pay the price in the future for rejecting our goodwill."

Marshal Hessmann said to Hitler: "But now, what we have to do is not to invade. But to clearly tell Turkey that we will soon defeat the British fleet in the Mediterranean. By then Turkey will be of no value to us! If they If you want to keep what you have in front of you and gain something, you should stand with us before the British Mediterranean Fleet fails."

Although he said so, both Hitler and Papen knew that Turkey was actually valuable! Even if Britain loses the Mediterranean - because Turkey's surrender can ensure that Germany enters Iran and Iraq before the Soviet Union.

Moreover, Turkey's mountainous terrain and fierce and warlike national temperament can also become a barrier blocking the Soviet Union's southward march to the Middle East in the future.

"I understand!" Hitler stood up, walked a few steps with his hands behind his back, and then said to von Papen, "Go and tell the Turkish Prime Minister that my bottom line is that the Suez Canal is controlled by us or the Italians. At that time, Turkey must immediately Stand with us or Germany will take back Constantinople!

We won't take mountainous Asia Minor, but we can easily take Constantinople! If the Turks still want to have it after the war, they must become our allies as soon as we seize the Suez Canal... This is the last chance! "