My name is Murat Iplikci, and I am a Visiting Scholar in the Department of History at Tufts University. I received my undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering and later completed both my M.A. and Ph.D. in History at Bilkent University in Turkey. Following a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University’s Sakıp Sabancı Center for Turkish Studies in 2023–2024, I am now continuing my research at Tufts. My work looks at the role of American business and its actors—such as businessmen and multinationals—in Cold War Turkey, focusing on how they navigated politics, diplomacy, and investment opportunities in a turbulent environment. Hagley’s collections gave me a unique opportunity to explore these questions through the papers of Thomas E. Gillingham, a geological consultant for W.R. Grace & Co.
The Thomas E. Gillingham papers (Accession 2331) document W.R. Grace’s efforts to explore Turkey’s mineral resources between the 1960s and 1970s. Gillingham’s files contain geological surveys, technical reports, and maps of ore, marble, copper, and zinc deposits, alongside extensive correspondence between Gillingham, other experts, and company leadership. Reading through these materials, one sees how closely scientific expertise was tied to business decisions. Consultants reported not only on the quality of mineral deposits but also on the practicalities of investment, from profitability assessments to the logistics of securing permits.
What struck me most, however, was how deeply the company’s strategies were shaped by politics. Letters and memoranda reveal discussions about cultivating ties with Turkey’s State Planning Department and its top-tier leaders, negotiating with state-owned enterprises such as Etibank (a state bank financing mining sector), and identifying the key bureaucrats and ministers whose approval could determine whether projects moved forward. The papers also capture a growing sense of uncertainty: how would political unrest, student protests of the late 1960s or the 1971 military intervention affect the investment climate? Would nationalist policies or strained U.S.-Turkish relations block new ventures? These were not abstract questions; they were central to W.R. Grace’s ability to operate in Turkey.
Another fascinating layer in the collection is the connection between events in Turkey and debates in the United States. Among the documents are petitions sent to the U.S. Tariff Commission by American producers worried that Turkish mineral exports would harm their businesses. These exchanges highlight how companies like W.R. Grace had to balance opportunities abroad with pressures at home, navigating both international diplomacy and domestic competition.
I am still working through nearly a thousand pages of material, but it is already clear that the Gillingham papers offer a rich window into the intersection of business and politics. They show that U.S. firms in Turkey were not acting in isolation; they were part of a larger story about foreign investment, Cold War diplomacy, and the challenges of operating in an uncertain environment.
My time at Hagley was invaluable for advancing this research. The staff were incredibly helpful in guiding me through the collection, and the Hagley Exploratory Grant made it possible for me to access sources that are unavailable elsewhere. By combining what I gather from Hagley with Turkish archival and press materials, I aim to write a more complete history of how W.R. Grace and its agents, such as Thomas E. Gillingham, pursued their interests in a country that was both a Cold War ally and a site of growing skepticism toward foreign capital.
Murat Iplikci is a Visiting Scholar at the Tufts University Department of History. He is the recipient of an Exploratory Grant to conduct research at Hagley Museum and Library.