TNT History Archives: Atatürk Went to Samsun, Vice Malta, 100 Years Ago

türkçe  links to original Turkish article

(Cumhuriyet Newspaper, 18 May 2019)

//Ed. Note: today, 19 May, is the 100th anniversary of 
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's landing at Samsun that began 
the Turkish independece struggle in the aftermath of 
WWI and the decline of the Ottoman Empire.  Atatürk 
went to Samsun ostensibly on official business for
the Turkish Army, then under British occupation in 
Istanbul. 

Instead, Atatürk joined with and then led the Turkish 
nationalist movement that ultimately achieved 
independence in 1923.  The British had exiled a large 
number of nationalist intellectuals from Istanbul to 
Malta, beginning in November 1918, as their occupation
began. The document below shows that Mustafa Kemal 
(later Atatürk) was in the exile sights of British 
intelligence in February 1919.  Fortunately for the Turks, 
in May of that year Atatürk was still in Istanbul and set 
off for Samsun on the 16th of the month, one day after 
the Greek occupation of Izmir began.//  




The British intelligence service officially wanted Mustafa Kemal,
among 33 others, detained and exiled from Istanbul, according to
a report prepared by a Captain Hoyand, dated 28 February 1919,
and sent to the British occupation forces in Istanbul.  Included in
the list besides Mustafa Kemal were his aide Cevat Abbas, the
Chief of Staff of the Ottoman Army Fevzi Çakmak, Defense
Ministry Deputy Chief Colonel İsmet İnönü, General Kazım
Karabekir, General Halil Kut, and Colonel Ali Çetinkaya. All
of these men would subsequently become key elements of the
Turkish nationalist movement 5-6 months later.

The report was not sent to London for approval until 12 April
so the lag-time seems to have spared Mustafa Kemal from
arrest and exile, probably to Malta.   Mustafa Kemal and his
cohorts in Istanbul were no doubt aware that their status was
precarious but probably did not know about this official report
recommending their apprehension and removal from Istanbul.


   Landing at Samsun on 19 May 1919...rather than Malta.