Response to the Claim that Atatürk wanted a Mandate

In a video recording on the internet, Besim Tibuk, Chairman of Net Holding, claimed that Mustafa Kemal Atatürk wanted an American mandate, not an independent state, but that the US did not accept this. Let us demonstrate the untruth of this claim with some historical facts.

Although the beginning of US-Ottoman Empire relations is considered to be the opening of the US consulate in Izmir in 1824, the US-Ottoman Empire Trade Agreement signed on May 7, 1830 is accepted as the first date when relations officially began. Considering the distance between the two countries and the transportation facilities at the time, relations were initially limited to missionary and merchant lobbying.

The relations that continued in this way until just before 1914, when World War I broke out, started to change as of 1912. The anti-Ottoman Armenian propaganda initiated by the Armenians and the American press's support for the Armenians led to strained relations. The Ottoman Empire announced that it unilaterally abolished the capitulations as of October 1, 1914, and the American administration harshly stated that it did not recognize this decision. The outbreak of war and the increase in Armenian incidents worsened relations. Although the US declared war against Germany in 1917, it avoided war with the Ottoman Empire. 

In order to investigate the allegations of genocide against Armenians, US President Wilson decided to send a delegation led by General Harbord to the Ottoman Empire on July 29, 1919. The mission of the 40-member American delegation was to investigate Armenia and the cities and villages where Armenians lived, including their ethnic, military, economic and financial situation. The delegation first arrived in Istanbul, but since the United States severed diplomatic relations with the Ottoman Empire at the outbreak of World War I, it did not visit any member of the Ottoman government and paid a courtesy visit to the High Commissioner of the Entente. The visit of this delegation was the first and most important comprehensive visit to Turkey by the United States. 

General Harbord also had a meeting with Mustafa Kemal in Sivas. The most important reason for Mustafa Kemal to have this meeting was the idea of collapsing the bloc formed by England, France and Italy through Wilson's principles and attracting the USA to the side of the National Struggle.

The minutes of this secret meeting, which took place on September 22, 1919 under the shadow of the "Mandate and protection cannot be accepted" decision taken at the Sivas Congress, whose 103rd anniversary we celebrate today, have not been published. In his article published in the June 1920 issue of World's Work, Harbord stated that he was very impressed by Mustafa Kemal and his friends. Mustafa Kemal Pasha's statement in his message to Kazım Pasha about this meeting, "The General appreciated all our national movements and initiatives and said, 'If I were a Turk, I would act in the same way' and expressed opinions in our favor." is an indication that this meeting was positive for both sides. The original text of the main report written by Harbord consists of 43 pages. The most important point in this report is the statement that the Turks were not preparing for an attack against the Armenians and that the news about the attacks and massacres against Armenians and other Christians were not true. It was also emphasized that a country undergoing a great change was encountered. Harbord's report and published articles helped Mustafa Kemal Pasha and the National Struggle to be recognized by the American administration and public opinion. As a result of this report, the proposal regarding the Armenian mandate regime was rejected, the realities of Turkey were recognized and Turkish-American relations were re-established on a more realistic and solid ground. 

In sum, the thesis that Atatürk also wanted the mandate and protectorate is not an acceptable thesis. The reason why the US delegation came to Anatolia is completely different. 

For detailed information:

https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/avrasyadosyasi/issue/70806/1119194