relates the genesis of his opposition to the CUP and his
arrest.//
Site of Bekir Ağa Prison, right, on the campus of Istanbul
University in the Beyazit quarter of the city. The building
was given over to the university in 1922 and torn down in
1950. The large building, left, was the Ottoman War Ministry
and later the university presidency.
In particular, I cannot forget an open letter by an anonymous writer to
Ahmed Rıza Bey (a CUP founder), which we printed without reading it.
In consequence, two officers came to our house one night and peppered
us with insults like 'traitor to the nation', 'low-life', etc. The next day
a different officer came and told me that if I didn't show him the person
who had printed the letter he would blow my head off, which made
quite an impression on me.
Ahmed Rıza Bey
Henceforth, the martyrdom of Hasan Fehmi and Ahmed Samim (both
anti-CUP journalists assassinated in Istanbul in 1909 and 1910,
respectively), and Hüseyin Hilmi ('İştirak' newspaper editor)'s open
letter warning of Samim's killing, which we had also printed, persuaded
me to the opposition side and, even more so, gave me the inspiration
and the courage to become a rebel myself.
The person responsible for all these shameful acts was Mahmud
Şevket (army commander during the '31 March 1909' incident). His
dictatorship was intolerable and I was convinced of the need to stop
his government. I related these things to Kemal Bey in detail. He
listened intently, held my arm tightly and asked me to take an oath,
as follows: "Do you swear to intellectually and, if necessary, actively
uproot the current government?" I said yes and, in this way, I joined
the 'cemiyet-i hafiye' (secret society).
Mahmud Şevket Paşa (center)
I introduced Dr. Münir and Hamdi Efendi, whom I had recently met,
to Kemal Bey, who inducted them into the society, as well. We all
then began to seek out others for membership, to increase our numbers.
Kemal Bey was in contact with Mehmed Şerif Paşa (a Kurd and a
CUP opponent) in Europe.
Mehmed Şerif Paşa
Kemal wrote to Şerif Paşa about increasing membership but also about
his need for money. I thought about Kemal Bey's requirements that
impelled his need for money. Consequently, I felt that he would not
obtain it within the time frame he needed it. I told Dr. Münir and
Hamdi Efendi that Kemal Bey's request to Şerif Paşa for illegitimate
money would do us harm. As a result, the three of us signed a letter
to Kemal Bey, declaring that we would no longer work for the society.
However, they subsequently sided with Kemal Bey, who obtained the
money that Şerif Paşa sent him and made his way to Europe. Dr. Münir
and Hamdi Efendi got no money whatsoever but suffered greatly,
nonetheless. Let me say this, though: those who later joined the society
were motivated only by the chance to save the nation, not, like Kemal,
by the opportunity to make money.
How I Was Arrested
I didn't go to work that day. The watchman knocked on my door and
said that he had found a very suitable house for rent and that I should
come to see it right away. Without even putting my vest on, right
away I threw on my pants and jacket and went out. My 6-year-old son
Nezhet was with me. We ran into the local policeman, who asked me
to come with him to the police station, from where he called the
Aksaray police station to say that "Sırrı Bey is at our police station."
My son was misbehaving a bit so I kiddingly warned him to stop or
else he'd be kept at the police station. Actually, it was I who was being
arrested! My son cried at my warning and was brought home, while
I was taken to Aksaray. Accompanied by two policemen, I was brought
to the office of police chief Azmi Bey, but he had gone to dinner so we
waited for him.
Aksaray is at lower left. Beyazit, site of Bekir Ağa
Prison, is a bit to the right and up from Aksaray.
Azmi Bey entered his office in with a flourish and I was brought over
to him. They sat me down next to him and he said to me:
"We want you to tell us about the society." I replied that I wasn't a
member of any society. He next asked me about Kemal Bey but I said
that I had a number of friends named Kemal and I wondered which
one he was referring to. Azmi Bey then told me that Dr. Münir and
the others at the house had been caught and that Kemal had fled to
Europe.
At this point, I realized I was trapped so I gave him a few details and
absolved my friends of any involvement. Nevertheless, they put me
into a holding room and when I saw that they had written an arrest
report, I was bewildered. I couldn't say a word. I was brought back
to Azmi Bey and he read out my report in the presence of 5 or 6
officers. I protested that I had not committed any crime and demanded
to know why I was being arrested.
I was told that they could take advantage of my information so I was
being made a 'guest'. But as long as I did not accept the written report
they would be unable to take advantage of my information. I was
therefore taken out and, together with the written report, sent to Bekir
Ağa Prison.
War Ministry/Istanbul University presidency building is the
large one at bottom. The smaller, but still relatively large
building next to it is Bekir Ağa Prison. Süleymaniye Mosque
is in back of both buildings, as is the Golden Horn waterway.
//END of PART II//
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