TNT Salutes the 100th Anniversary of the Turkish Republic and Its Founder Atatürk - He Made a Strong First Impression in Erzurum, 1919

 

  

   Watercolor painting by Burhan Özer

In the summer of 1919, British Col. Alfred "Toby" Rawlinson was in 

Erzurum inspecting the progress of Ottoman Army disarmament in

the aftermath of WWI.  Coincidentally, Mustafa Kemal Paşa (later,

of course, Atatürk) happened to be in Erzurum, too, preparing for the 

congress there that was a stepping stone toward the eventual 

establishment of the Turkish Republic on 29 October 1923. 

The two met and this is Rawlinson's description of the man who sat

opposite him, as recorded in his book "Adventures in the Near East 

1918-1922", published in London in 1923: 

Mustafa Kemal Paşa (Pages 188, 189, 190): "There now arrived at 

Erzurum the Inspector-General of the Turkish Eastern Armies, who 

has since become the famous Mustafa Kemal Paşa, the great Turk, the 

remarkable nature of whose striking personality never fails to impress 

itself on all who are brought into contact with him.

European rather than Asiatic in type, with fair hair and blue eyes, 

Kemal is more Teutonic than Turkish in appearance.  He has read much 

and traveled widely, and is thoroughly competent to give a considered 

opinion on all subjects of general interest either at the present day or in 

the history of the past.  A man of great strength of character and very 

definite and practical views as to the rightful position of his race in the 

comity of nations, he is no seeker after personal fame or advancement, 

but is imbued with a deep sense of duty, which causes him to place his 

country’s interest before all others and to labour unceasingly towards 

those ends which he considers to be most to her advantage.

This is the secret of his remarkable success in the creation of the Turkish 

National Party, of which he himself is the moving and controlling spirit.  

It is by means of the undoubted earnestness and loyalty of his patriotism 

that he has been able to weld together the many divergent interests of his 

countrymen, and to lay the foundations of a Turkish democratic power 

which cannot fail to dominate the field of Eastern politics in the near 

future.

His military training is of German origin, but it is more than doubtful 

whether his sympathies today have any inclination towards either 

Germany or Russia, except in so far as the support of those countries 

may be made to serve in the forwarding of Turkish interests.  Many 

scurrilous reports have been circulated from time to time with regard 

to his private life, but I have never observed the slightest foundation for 

them, though, I have had every opportunity of doing so had any such 

existed.  His general bearing, though invariably courteous, is not such 

as to encourage social intercourse, but it is impossible to doubt either 

the sincerity of his convictions or the tenacity with which he is prepared 

to support what he considers to be the legitimate aims of his country.

During the month of June ((1919)), when at Erzurum occupying the post 

of Inspector-General,  Kemal Paşa was recalled to Constantinople by the 

Sultan (I concluded at the request of the Allies), and, on his refusing to go, 

he was deprived of his military rank, thus being left free to devote his 

activities to politics, in which, although a lifelong enemy of Enver, he was

already deeply committed to the support of what had previously been 

known as the Young Turk Party.  I frequently saw and had long talks with 

him at this time, and was well aware of his political aspirations and also 

of the difficulties he was meeting with in their prosecution, and of the 

object of the Conference which he was then arranging to hold at Erzurum

in July." ((Erzurum Congress, 23 July – 7 August 1919))

Mustafa Kemal Paşa and Kâzım Karabekir Paşa, right, 

in Erzurum in the summer of 1919. 

Rawlinson had many more dealings in Erzurum with Kâzım Karabekir 

Paşa, who would go on to play a major role in the War of Independence.  

This was his description of Kâzım Karabekir Paşa in his book: 

Kâzım Karabekir Paşa (Pages 180-181): "Shortly after our arrival the 

new Army Commander, Kâzım Karabekir Paşa, appeared on the scene, 

and as a formality to propitiate the Allies, the old IXth Army was reduced 

to the status of an Army Corps only and numbered XV.  Needless to 

remark, this made no practical difference at all to the military position.  

Kâzım Paşa, a native of eastern Anatolia, is the most genuine example of 

a first-class Turkish officer that it has ever been my good fortune to meet.  

He has had much experience of war and was Chief of Staff to the German 

Marshal von der Goltz, who the Commander-in-Chief of the Turkish 

armies that defended Baghdad against the British advance. 

Any army he has under his command may always be relied upon to be 

thoroughly well commanded.  Not only has he the advantage of a naturally 

quick and bright intelligence, but he is master of every branch of his 

profession, and extremely conscientious in the exercise of his multifarious 

duties.  I am anxious to add, first, that, having had much to do with him 

in many extremely delicate positions, I have always found him as 

straightforward as his orders would permit him to be; and, secondly, that 

although it was my fate to be his prisoner for a long time and to suffer 

great hardships at the hands of some of his subordinates, yet he himself 

has never ceased to command my respect as an individual and my 

appreciation as a thoroughly competent Commander.

For some time past he has commanded the Eastern Front of the Nationalist 

armies and much of their success in the west must be attributed to his 

enlightened handling of the complicated position in the east.  It is easy, 

therefore, to realize how great must be his influence in the critical days 

which lie before the new Empire of Nationalist Turkey, and particularly 

upon the future relations of his country with Soviet Russia, on which his 

well-proved loyalty and patriotism must continue to have the most 

important bearing.”

                      Watercolor paining by Işıl Özışık.

 As Rawlinson implied, he experienced very difficult times in Erzurum,

ultimately spending 20 months in prison as ransom for Rauf Orbay,

a Nationalist leader sent into exile from Istanbul to Malta by the British.  

Here is a summary of that travail: 

Imprisonment by Turks: On 16 March 1920, Rawlinson was informed 

by Kâzım Paşa’s deputy that because Rauf Bey had been arrested in 

Istanbul by the British and exiled to Malta, Rawlinson and his 4-man 

team would be confined to their quarters in Erzurum.  This first 

confinement lasted until March 24, 1921, at which time a Rauf Bey-

Rawlinson prisoner swap was in the works so Rawlinson was taken to 

Trabzon to await developments.  However, in mid-April the swap deal 

fell through and Rawlinson was returned to imprisonment in Erzurum 

on 24 April 1921.  In early October 1921, Rawlinson and his men were 

taken to Trabzon again, arriving there on 14 October.  On 31 October, 

Rawlinson and his men went by means of a British warship to İnebolu, 

where the prisoner swap for Rauf Bey was finally realized on 1 November 

1921.  Rawlinson arrived in Istanbul on 5 November – see pages 287 

through 353 of his book for details of Rawlinson’s and his men’s 

imprisonment by the Turks.