[Rebia Tevfik Başokçu'nun Türk - Amerikan Çocuk Kültür Derneği programında yaptığı konuşmalar]

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Although I have been in your beautiful nation*s

capital for only a few days, I do not feel at all like a stranger. The greatest gift of this impressive city of yours is the great

contribution and cooperation of outstanding Americans like yourselves in worthwhile efforts of a humanitarian nature.

It is difficult to find words to express to you my gratitude for the spirit of understanding shown to our cultural project. I owe the pleasure of being able to meet with you tonight to Miiss^i. Bayer. This great friend of mine is one of those

remarkable and unselfish persons who can always be counted upon in all matters where human brotherhood, culture and understanding are paramount. I wish to take this opportunity to express to MlHs Boyer rry deep gratitude for making it possible to establish a branch of our Committee in this city and to meet with you. _}—

We know that American women and mothers are deeply attentive to the matter of childrens* cultural problems. It is their very concerned attitude and their deep feelings which gather us here together in the home of the gracious wife of our military attache. I am also"Yhappy to see among you many of opr English friends) Today we are gathered here to plant in our common

garden a common seedling. We shall strive to make this seedling grow and achieve a very beautiful and useful flower, x

Turkey has bound herself with an unswerving friendship to this great American Democracy. It is my great desire to see that our children are brought up in a common cultural program and environment which will prepare them for perpetuating this friendship.

It can readily be seen that our efforts will not merely assume the form of charity from one country to another. It will, in fact, be the first great step toward the establishment of a

common cultural policy, since we are aiming not only to secure means of study for the orphans of our soldiers who have given their lives in Korea, but we also plan to set up an exchange program for

children between our two nations.

I have already received letters from Turkey from many teachers who have volunteered their services in this school. I have also heard that the Turkish people are waiting with happiness

and bated breath for the establishment of this modern school. One of the members of the Board of Directors, the great American

writer Mr. Harold Lamb, wrote to me in his last letter that "one of the strongest ties between America and Turkey will be your "Childrens1 Cultural Project."

We are convinced that we shall be successful in these endeavors with your help - the help of you who have always been the champions of these programs of socjal assistance.

In conclusion I want to tell you how very much I admire your nation and your people. And I wish to express to you my thanks £nd deep feelings of appreciation for your kind

cooperation. I hope toith all my heart that within a very short time we will again be gathered together to celebrate the opening

ceremonies of this school we are establishing in Istanbul. We shall thus share, on that day, the joy of the success of our endeavors - success of your own making.

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First of all I want to thank you very much for accepting our invitation and I welcome you warmly to this gathering. Your presence here indicates that you support y®H our aim to further cultural relations between America and Turkey and to work on the exchange of students.

This is a private undertaking but my Government has

shown great interest in our efforts and has wished us all success possible. The Turkish deputies who visited this country have

accepted to become members of our Committee and they have promised to do all in their power to Ih x h x k help us. The Americans, more than any other people, appreciate the value of private enterprises for this great country came into being and prospered through

private enterprise.

Today every American who visits Turkey agrees that the country has progressed greatly and that America can count on Turkey as a staunch ally.

I feel great pride in quoting the words of i“r. McGhee who was ambass^d^r in Turkey for years.

"Turkey today has made great strides in the economic field. Turkey’s economy is one of the gxiix strongest in the world. Starkey is a tower of strength for the whole world, she has 19 divisions at the disposal of the Atlantic Pact. Turkey is one of the strongest sinew of Nr>to and is the guardian of the Near East,"and is an ally we can count on."

The political, economic and military ties that unite America and Turkey play an important role in world peace.

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Apart from these material ties there is also a spiritual tie which unites the two countries and is above all Kfe±xx other powers.

Two years ago I had been invited by the French Government to attend the maneuvers of the Atlantic powers in Germany. I was the only woman among 80 newspaper people representing many lands. Everyone wanted to know who I was, and wanted to talk with me.

I had the privilege of talking to an American officer and a soldier who had just returned from the Korean War. When these young men heard that I was Turkish, they threw their arms around me and embraced me as if I were their mother. At a dinner given for the guests, they wanted to sit next to me. They begged me to send, through my newspaper, their love and admiration to the Turkish soldiers fighting in Korea.

Later on, I met some of the Turkish soldiers in Paris who had visited the United States. They told me, "Our American friends are our true brothers".

The editor of my paper, Vqtan, Mr. /‘hmet Emin Yalman, is also well-known in this country. ' hile he was touting Anatolia, x pKxsxnfcxxxicxdtxbdtBQf he asked a peasant,

"What do you xxjrxxhBK think of Turko-American friendship?" The peasant answered, "What shall I say? re are now related to America and as I understand it this relationship is good for both countries, for our aims are one and our enemies are also the same."

These words of a simple peasant express the feelings of 21 million Turks and prove that even the most uneducated xasxxic Turk has a political wisdom acquired through the centuries.

I too want to repeat the same sentiment here. I look upon America as a big brother, who having won the war is now trying

been saved from Red domination, and we Turks realize this fact very clearly, and appreciate it more than others. Our whole aim in life is to advance down the road of civilization and to live in peace and freedom in our own country. In spite of the ties that unite our two countries, as individuals we know very little of one another. For centuries our enemies have fabricated falsehoods and spread these throughout the world.

The duty of every Turk iKQtxjc who loves America is to try to bring the countries closer together. I am a volunteer fighter for

the democracy established by our great Atatürk. In order to bring the children of America and Turkey closer together so they

know

another better, I am working to establish a model school in Istanbul for the Turkish orphans of the Korean ar. This school will be based on American methods of education and one of its aims will be the exchange of students.

If our American friends bad not helped us, this Committee would never have been formed. That is why I j e x m x h h* want to express my deepest gratitude to our American friends gathered here tonight and those who were unable to attend this dinner. I am sure that they will continue to help us to t e end.

The school will be built with American help but funds will be its

raised in Turkey for i ± x maintenance. The money raised in this country by our American friends should not be looked upon as mere help but an

investment which will bring great returns - a better understanding and friendship between America and Turkey with consequences favorable to both countries.

My worthy colleagues of the American Press, for years I have admired your abilities and wit. If you, who know the world situation

better than others, will kindly inform the American public of our project,

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-your Interest will prove an enormous help.

I want to thank again everyone of you for making this gathering possible and I hope that one day I will y see you all in the school we are going to build in Istanbul.

After dinner we will have the pleasure of listening to Miss Ayla Erduran whose skill with the violin is proof of the talent of Turkish children in music. I hope that this little concert will give you pleasure.

AMERICAS TURKISH CULTURAL COMMITTEE FOR CHILDREN, INC.

Board of Directors1 23*56 Meeting Hold Qetoter

30,

St. Moritz Hotel, He» fork City

Maxwell Power», Chairman Pro Ten

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1. Election of Officers and Board

2.

3.

5. Increase membership

6. Any other business which nay properly cone before this nesting