Historically, Amcrican rcaction to ncw rcpublican or democraticgovcrnmcnls has bccn favorablc and cvcn enlhusiastic. Did this occur withthe cstablishmcnt of hc Turkish Rcpublic in 1923.Two evcnts secm, at first gancc, to indicatc this may have bccn thecasc. Onc was the choice of Mustafa Kemal for the cover of an issue of TimeMagazine in 1923. The second was the visit of the Turkish-flag ship S.S.Gülcemal to Ne w York in the carly 1920s.Examination of general Amcrican press coverage of the Turkish warfor independcnce and the declaration of the Rcpublic indicates otherwise.Negative attitudes tovvard the Turks abound. In the New York Times oldstercotypcs persist and enthusiasm for the new Repubic is almost complctclyabsent.Nevertheless, careful analysis of the Time magazine story and presscoverage of the Gülcemal's arrival reveals a basis for a more positiveunderstanding of Turkey. Bolh the story and the coverage of the Gülcemalhint at the importance "modernity" would have in improving Americanpcrccptions of the Turkish Rcpublic and also illustrate the critical role publicsymbols play in the ficld of diplomacy.