//Ed. Note: In 1932 Turkish journalist Sadri Etem Ertem went
to Soviet Russia with Prime Minister İsmet İnönü. Ertem
wrote a short book related to the trip but it turned out to be
essentially a paean to Soviet socialism/communism. In any
event, Ertem's editors in Istanbul stalled with regard to
publishing the book because of the 'Red Scare' in Turkey in the
1930s - including a purported communist 'Mata Hari' roaming
around Anatolia and seducing young Turks to the red cause.
Ertem was nevertheless hopeful about his book's eventual
publication, despite repeated setbacks. He ended up entrusting
it to colleague Kemal Sülker, twenty years his junior. In the
forward to the book, finally published in 1989 (!), Sülker
relates Ertem's struggle for publication and the sad end.
Herewith Sülker's account/ /
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My Memories of Soviet Russia
Sadri Etem Ertem
Soviet Russia’s Socialist Construction
Observations from the border to Moscow,
reflections on history and targets
...
1932 Istanbul
Sadri Etem Ertem
Writer and storyteller Sadri Ertem went to Soviet Russia with
Prime Minister İsmet İnönü in 1932. The ship Grusio, which
carried the Prime Minister to Odessa, weighed anchor in the port
of Istanbul on 19 April 1932 and the Foreign Minister had to delay
his trip to Geneva because of this voyage. The Prime Minister and
his entourage were welcomed in Odessa on 24 April.
Sadri Ertem was writing short columns in the Haber
newspaper, which was published by Us Kardeşler. Upon his return
from Russia on 10 May 1932, Sadri Ertem was asked by Asım Us
to write down his observations so he began to do so in Ottoman,
finishing the first part at the end of June. But when July passed
without his writings being published, Sadri Ertem asked Asım Us
about this and was told “We’ll be putting out some new things in
October. We’re thinking of that time.”
Asım Us
October came and went so he asked Asım Us again and
received this reply: “Hakkı Tarık wanted to read them. Ask him.”
Hakkı Tarık Us was the Press Union President and Ertem found
him on the top floor of the Vakit building in an office at the end of
one of the labyrinthine corridors. The room was filled with piles of
books, newspapers and files. Ertem told Hakkı Tarık what he
wanted to know and was told “Yes, I wanted to read them so I got
them from my older brother but I don’t know where I put them. Let
me think...at the time, the end of May, a communist gang was
captured in Istanbul so in the tumult of that story I put your
writings somewhere. But I’ll find them...”
And at the end of October, Hakkı Tarık Us found the
text prepared in Ottoman and gave it back to Sadri Ertem to re-write
some of the lines and expand in some pages. He submitted the text
back in early November to Hakkı Tarık Us, who said “OK, it’s ready.
I’ll have the artist do the headline this week and around the 20th of
the month the first installment will be done, we’ll announce it and
start publication.” Sadri Ertem responded “so it will be out in
December!” and heard “Seems like it...” as Hakkı Tarık Us’s reply.
Hakkı Tarık Us
December came and Sadri Ertem, who was living in Ankara, couldn’t
come to Istanbul very often so he sent his columns by post. That year
the Halkevleri (Peoples Houses) were opened and the CHP (ruling
Republican Peoples Party) gave him some related work to do. In
addition, that year the Türk Dili Tetkik Cemiyeti (Turkish Language
Research Society), which if I’m not mistaken Sadri Ertem named, was
established and Interior Minister Şükrü Kay wanted people, names and
proposals in connection with this society. Consequently, with all these
other duties going on Sadri Ertem wasn’t able to keep track of his
Russia text. Around the 25th of December he finally went to Istanbul
and scolded Asım Us, as follows: “Sir, you’re trying to distract me
like a child. You said there was no problem and you’d take care of it
– in October! It’s now December. If you think my book has problems
then give it back to me.”
Straightening his eyeglasses, Asım Us said “evidently, you
haven’t been reading the newspapers, otherwise you wouldn’t be this
irritated.” Responding, Sadri Ertem asserted that “I’m reading the
newspapers and magazines and listening to the radio. What are you
referring to in the newspapers?!” Asım Us then explained “My dear
Sadri, 35 communists were rounded up and during secret courts that
were conducted their intentions and goals came out in the open. In
order to spread communism they employed a bargirl who went around
Anatolia seducing young men and poisoning them with communism.
So at such a time, it would be suicidal for us to publish a series about
development in Soviet Russia.”
Sadri Ertem replied “It’s strange that someone would link
the capture of a few communists with my writings. Most of what’s
going on is just tricks by the police. Most of us know that lately the
communist label has been slapped on all government opponents.
And the bargirl you just referred to must be one of these made-up
stories.” This irritated Asım Us, who summoned his police reporter
Nihat Şazi, a tall blonde young fellow, and said to him “Was there a
bargirl among the 17 people who were tried and convicted on 20
December. Sadri Etem is unaware of this so tell him about this woman.”
Nihat Şazi: “Sir, the trial was held in secret but from what
the prosecutor told us we know that this woman named Vilda earned
a living by dancing in bars. It was proven that she made propaganda
to those she became acquainted with in these bars and she was
sentenced to four years in jail. Among the others were some who got
8-year sentences and some who got four years, three years, four
months. I can’t quite remember for sure but those were the sentences
handed out.”
Sadri Ertem responded to this by saying to Asım Us: “Asım
Bey, I can’t say anything about these arrests and sentences. Just give
me my trip observations and I’ll go.” After that, for some time Sadri
Ertem didn’t show the book to anyone, as he tried to finish it. His aim
was to write about problems of women in Soviet Russia, as well as
other topics there such as “tomorrow’s man”, societal training and
culture parks, scientific principles and institutions, anti-religion
museums, cinema and theater in the new Russia, and plastic crafts.
Consequently, the book remained only with him for a few years.
Ethem İzzet Benice
In 1936, Etem İzzet Benice established the newspaper Son
Telegraf and appointed Âdil Akba as the Ankara Bureau Chief.
Akba was a journalist Sadri Ertem liked very much and whom he
visited often at his Ulus office. One day Akba said to him: “Ethem
İzzet Bey, is launching Son Telegraf. He’s taken on Senih Muammer
Alatur, Necip Fazıl will write a column, Sami Karayel will do the
sports reporting. The editor is Reşat Feyzi Yüzüncü and İskender
Fahrettin is preparing an historical series. Etem Bey would like a
novel from you he could print in installments.” In response, Sadri
Ertem said he wasn’t a novelist and that he was quite busy with his
work at the national desk of the Matbuat Umum Müdürlüğü (Public
Press Directorate). He said to Akba: “I have a trip report entitled
My Observations in Soviet Russia, an historical piece. If Etem İzzet
might want it I’ll give it to you to send to him.”
Âdil Akba was very pleased to hear this, as it was good for
him and met his boss’s need. The next day, Sadri Ertem brought the
book and it was sent to Ethem İzzet Benice. Two weeks later, a note
came from Ethem İzzet Bey: “Unfortunately, I can’t find a typesetter
who can deal with Ottoman. I’ll send your book to Âdil Akba in a day
or two. If you can write it in the new (Latin) script I would be very
pleased.” When Sadri Ertem got his book back he was in no mood to
put the text into the new script nor to have someone else take
dictation and type it.
Sabiha and Zekeriya Sertel
Years passed. The scent of war was being felt in 1939 and
Sadri Ertem thought that publication of his old trip report could be
helpful in keeping Turkey non-aligned. At that time I was the Province
and City Reporter at Tan, helping out as secretary one night a week.
Zekeriya Sertel and his lovely wife Sabiha Sertel liked me very much
because I had entered the philosophy faculty. They would privately
explain various issues to me. One day I went to Zekeriya Bey’s office
and Sadri Ertem was there. Zekeriya Sertel, who was Tan’s editor and
one of its owners, said “Kemal, Sadri has an old book and we could
probably publish a few sections in Tan. Can you have this text
typed?”
I took the draft was legible and written with care. I
considered it and thought that it would not be easy to take on this job
in addition to my work at the newspaper and at the faculty, but I
didn’t want to disappoint Zekeriye Bey so I said “OK Sir.”, to which
he replied “I’ll cover the costs of this burden.” and we both laughed.
I think it was March when we had this discussion because Germany
had occupied Südentenland. The typing work finished in May, at
which time Italy had begun to occupy Albania.
When I gave Sadri’s text to Zekeriya Sertel he said “we
can’t give the draft to the typesetters with onion-skinned paper.” He
handed it back to me. I was irritated, not wanting to do it all over
again, so I pasted the pages on regular paper and gave it to Sadri
Ertem the next day. He thanked me and neither one of us mentioned
the ‘burden’ involved. A while later, we heard that the agreement
Turkey signed with England was more elaborate than what Prime
Minister Refik Saydam had announced in the Turkish Grand National
Assembly, calling for the two nations to enter into mutual security
guarantees, effectively voiding Turkey’s “neutrality”.
In this atmosphere, Sadri Ertem’s trip observations in
Soviet Russia that he so wanted to have published for his own
reasons, was returned to him by Zekeriya Bey. One evening, I was
invited to dinner at the Tepebaş nightclub for a meal with Naci
Sadullah and Sadri Ertem, who like Naci Bey was a parliamentarian,
both of whom had come from Ankara, and Halikarnnas Balıkçısı,
who had just returned to Istanbul from Izmir. There, Sadri Ertem
gave me a big envelope with the typed text in it, saying “Kemal Bey,
unfortunately the war and, in particular, Hitler’s unsuitable activities,
have prevented my book from being serialized. Take the book and
after the war do with it what you can. But don’t worry, the next time
I see you I’ll give you a quarter of my Kütahya parliamentarian
salary.”
Naci and Balıkçı were surprised by this and said “Kemal,
how did you win the lottery!” Sadri Ertem didn’t say anything and
neither did I. Actually I had “won the lottery” in a different way –
the Martial Law Command capriciously sent me into exile in Konya
before Sadri Ertem was able to give me a quarter of his salary. While
I was in Konya the sad news came: “Writer and Kütahya
Parliamentarian Sadri Ertem passed away the night before last (12
November 1943).”
I left the changes Sadri Ertem penned in ink on the type-
written pages and the additions and word- fixes he made, along with
the title “Sovyet Rusya’nın Sosyalist İnşası” (Soviet Russia’s
Socialist Construction), as they were. May he rest in peace.
Kemal Sülker
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