The effects of Johnson letter on Turkish-American relations and Turkish foreign policy during the period of 1960-1980 relative authonomy and the process of identification priorities

This study in essence, dealt with 1960-1980 period covering the most turbulent years of Turkish-American relations, and relative autonomy process experienced Turkey's foreign policy structuring within this time frame. Just as bipolar ideological power struggle emerged after WWII in international conjuncture, became one of the main determining factor for rising course and continuity of Turkish-American relations, the external conjunctural environment of 1960s, that begun to change, and the forces coming from internal social-structural dynamics of country have been accepted as factors that will relatively change the nature of both relations and foreign politics, and pushes search for alternative solutions that will balance against Western dependency. While footsteps of this changes were heard by Cuban Crisis and U-2 events, become clearer after Johnson Letter coming with 1964 Cyprus Crisis. Our aim in this thesis work, is to investigate what kind of effects did Johnson Letter create on point of re-evaluation, diversification and transition to versatility in process of relative autonomy and determining priorities in Turkish Foreign Policy that generally began in 1960s and continued until 1980 military coup. To find answers to these questions qualitative research technique was used, formation and development of process has been dealt with the framework of foreign policy levels of analysis covering international-system, state-societal and individual levels, from a historical perspective. Founding result is; although there is not seeing a permanent deviation in main axis of foreign policy, assumption that Johnson Letter is an important catalyst on point of re-evaluating, transition to versatility and diversification of foreign policy, tension with US after letter and lack of confidence forming in public opinion not only affected course of relations, but also opens a transformation can be considered important in one-way, block-oriented foreign policy structuring of Turkey. In this context, Letter has considered as a reference point for some important changes about diversifying general orientation in conduct of foreign policy decision-makers', changing a certain extent, and increasing their ability to act in foreign policy, even if it is relative. After this date, Turkey's relations with Eastern Bloc, Soviets, and Third World Countries esspecially Arabs in Middle East has entered a certain degree of rapprochement and recovery process. However, relative autonomy and multifaceted foreign policy process, which gained momentum after Johnson Letter, ended with September 12, 1980 military coup.