Washington, D.C. The U.S. State Department receives an urgent phone call from the First Secretary of the British Embassy, and just half an hour later, two documents of historic significance are delivered: the formal notification that the British government would terminate its commitment in the Balkans and the Levant on March 31st. Britain, finding itself unable to shoulder the burden, is handing it over to the United States, starting with Greece and Turkey. This involves the transfer of the baton of command to the United States for what the British called the Great Game, for control of the Dardanelles to prevent Russian access to the Mediterranean, but also control of Central Asia to prevent Russian access to India.
