THE ATTITUDE OF THE USA TOWARD FOREIGN POLICY OF TURKEY IN 1939-1941

Turkey and the Black Sea straits are the territories where the interests of different states and competing geopolitical forces have been always crossed. The Turkish government played a big diplomatic game in Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. The example of Turkey being outside the interests of the USA before World War II gives an opportunity to trace the stages of the involving of the US to the political processes in the region. The article is devoted to the US -Turkish relations on the eve of World War II, and especially to the US' attitude to the Turkish policy of neutrality. A particular attention is paid to the history of bilateral relations between Ankara and Washington in the context of Turkey's relations with London, Berlin and Moscow at the early stages of World War II.