When he was appointed British Ambassador to Ankara, Turkey (1958–1962), he had never visited the country before and had little previous knowledge of it. He was surprised to find the inauguration of an oil refinery accompanied by the slaughter of a sheep. He quickly fell in love with the culture and the people there. "When we arrived in Turkey from Arabia," writes Sir Bernard in his memoirs, "it felt as if we were coming home." He was on friendly terms with several members of the Turkish government, including the prime minister Adnan Menderes. In the opinion of many good judges, he was one of the best ambassadors Britain had sent to Turkey. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom visited Ankara as the guest of the Head of State Cemal Gursel during his term in the Embassy. Burrows established excellent relations with President Gursel who later helped obtain permission for British military aircraft to overfly Turkey on their way to support Kuwait. When government and public opinion in Britain reacted sharply against the execution of Menderes despite his efforts for the contrary and pleas of forgiveness to the ruling military[National Unity Committee by the Queen, President John F. Kennedy, Gursel and İsmet İnönü, Sir Bernard worked hard to prevent a diplomatic rupture between the two countries. Ankara hinted to him that his personal popularity had possibly prevented a recall of ambassadors. "It was lucky that an ethical foreign policy had not yet been invented," he wrote in his autobiography.
