Roosevelt-İnönü Diplomatic Relations: An Analysis Based on Personal Correspondence (1939-1945)

Abstract

Amid the global chaos created by World War II, the relationship between Roosevelt andİnönü reached surprising dimensions. This study examines the personal rapport andcorrespondence developed between the two leaders between 1939 and 1945. The exchange of stamps, mutual sharing of photographs, special occasion greetings, and informal letters duringthe most critical and turbulent phases of the war document the existence of a human andsincere communication network that operated beyond the rigid bureaucratic patterns of theperiod. Primary sources obtained from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) funds, some of which have recently been made available to researchers, reveal thatRoosevelt consciously and systematically used personal diplomacy as a strategic tool. Thisapproach appears to have been an operational component of a broader strategy aimed at keeping Turkey out of the Axis threat and bringing it into the Allied bloc. In contrast, President İnönü seems to have embraced this sincere dialogue as a tool for preserving Turkey'sdelicate “balance policy.” In this context, it is understood that İnönü aimed to convey thecountry's security concerns directly to Washington and to strengthen relations with theWestern world. In this regard, the study examines the impact of personal relationshipsbetween leaders on foreign policy. The extent to which this is decisive is open to debate. Inparticular, the correspondence during the 1943 Cairo Conference process is shown withconcrete data to have reinforced the foundation of trust established between the leaders andto have had a vital impact on the institutionalization of Turkish-American relations and theirevolution into a strategic partnership in the post-war period.