Election message from Churchill to İnönü
Having served as the First Lord of the Admiralty during the Battle of Çanakkale and the military engineer behind the disastrous Gallipoli landings, Winston Churchill had established close ties with İsmet İnönü during World War II as well. As the Prime Minister of England, Churchill had met with İsmet İnönü twice, in Adana and Cairo, to encourage Turkey to enter the war.
Once CHP lost the elections of May 14, 1950 and fell into opposition, Churchill sent İnönü the following letter from London on May 31st:
To General İnönü,
My dear General,
Although it may be inappropriate for me to involve myself in Turkish politics, I have read, with much personal sorrow, that the long period in which you presided over the fate of Turkey has come to an end.
I find that in addition to the victories you earned as a General, history will admiringly record how you saved the Republic of Turkey from the grave dangers World War II would have harbored and the ways in which you preserved the liberal and progressive governmental system created by Mustafa Kemal after much rigorous struggles.
I affectionately recall our friendly and pleasant conversations and send you my best wishes during your temporary retreat from the political stage.
Sincerely yours,
Winston S. Churchill
