[Verginius Rufus]

When the British told Truman that they could no longer help the anti-Communist side in the Greek Civil War, Truman went to Congress and asked for money for both Greece and Turkey--to avert Communist victories.

During the Cold War Turkey was a reliable ally against the USSR because they were anti-Russian...the old "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" scenario. They sent troops to Korea during the Korean War...but they also took advantage of our need for their membership in NATO to invade Cyprus in 1974 and occupy 40% of the island.

[dfwgator]

In hindsight, I would have let the Soviets have Turkey.

[Texas Fossil]

Thank you for your perspective. Things change over time and it is hard to sense them unless you are close to the region.