Cyprus-Forum.com

[Tim Drayton]

So, stupid General revealed the existence of "secret" "özel harp dairesi" by asking huge amount of money from Prime Minister?

You can read the full story on page 255 of Soner Yalçın's book Bay Pipo. The general was not stupid, he was desperate because the Americans had apparently suddenly cut their financial support for the Special War Department. He was also very evasive when Ecevit tried to get information from him about this department.

Two years ago a book entitled Özel Harp Dairesi - Türkiye’nin Gizli Tarihi (The Special War Department - Turkey's Secret History) by Ecevit Kılıç appeared. Chapter four of this book is called Dairenin Pratik Alanı Kıbrıs (The Department's Area of Practice Cyprus ). Kılıç clearly also beleives that this department has played an important role in the recent history of Cyprus.

I was living in Turkey at the time of the Susurluk accident, and participated enthusiastically in the 'one minute of darkness' campaign that followed. I hope to see Turkey develop, modernise and become more democratic. I believe that the existence of the deep state has been disasterous for Turkey's development, and its involvement in Cyprus has been disasterous for the Turkish Cypriot people. This is my opinion and I think most people on the left would agree with me. You clearly have very different views and of course you are entitled to them.

[insan]

So, stupid General revealed the existence of "secret" "özel harp dairesi" by asking huge amount of money from Prime Minister?

You can read the full story on page 255 of Soner Yalçın's book Bay Pipo. The general was not stupid, he was desperate because the Americans had apparently suddenly cut their financial support for the Special War Department. He was also very evasive when Ecevit tried to get information from him about this department.

Two years ago a book entitled Özel Harp Dairesi - Türkiye’nin Gizli Tarihi (The Special War Department - Turkey's Secret History) by Ecevit Kılıç appeared. Chapter four of this book is called Dairenin Pratik Alanı Kıbrıs (The Department's Area of Practice Cyprus ). Kılıç clearly also beleives that this department has played an important role in the recent history of Cyprus.

I was living in Turkey at the time of the Susurluk accident, and participated enthusiastically in the 'one minute of darkness' campaign that followed. I hope to see Turkey develop, modernise and become more democratic. I believe that the existence of the deep state has been disasterous for Turkey's development, and its involvement in Cyprus has been disasterous for the Turkish Cypriot people. This is my opinion and I think most people on the left would agree with me. You clearly have very different views and of course you are entitled to them.

Tim, if the Special War Department was a secret organization, should the General have kept it secret from the Prime Minister regardless how desperate he was?

Special War Department wasn't a secret organization; it was founded in 1952 and legitimized with a law signed by the then Prime Minister of Turkey and concerned Turkish officials.

You can critisize their actions, blame them with this or that, make allegations abt them and question these allegations but it wasn't an illegal, secret organization.

[Nikitas]

Tim,

Was funding for the special war department coming directly from the USA, bypassing the government?

[Tim Drayton]

Tim,

Was funding for the special war department coming directly from the USA, bypassing the government?

I can't claim to have any expert knowledge about this, but apparently so:

http://www.hri.org/news/cyprus/tcpr/200 ... .tcpr.html

Turkish daily Sabah newspaper (28.07.09) reports that former Turkish Land Forces Commander and former head of the Special War Office retired General Kemal Yamak died at the age of 85 yesterday. The paper further reports that General Yamak, prior to the Turkish invasion and occupation of part of the Republic of Cyprus commanded the secret operations in Cyprus and in 1979 after the invasion and the occupation, he was the commander of the occupation army in Cyprus. General Yamak, before being promoted to the post of commander of the Turkish Land Forces in 1987-1989, he was the commander of the Turkish Aegean Forces in 1985-1987 during which Greco-Turkish relations were going through a critical period.

The paper reports that when General Yamak was head of the Special War Department in 1971 the then Ecevit Government was unaware of the existence of the Department which was being financed by the USA. General Yamak referring to this fact in his memoirs wrote that at that time there were parliamentarians belonging to Ecevits party who were civilian members of the Special War Department.

There is/was a sister organisation known as 'sheepskin' in Greece

[Tim Drayton]

Special War Department wasn't a secret organization; it was founded in 1952 and legitimized with a law signed by the then Prime Minister of Turkey and concerned Turkish officials.

Sorry, but it wasn't. All laws passed in Turkey are published in the Official Gazette. So when was this law passed and what is its number? The existence of the Special War Department was a secret for many years.

I do not feel that this discussion is heading anywhere. I could find tons and tons of material linking the Special War Department to the deep state and all sorts of illegal activities, especially huge numbers of extrajudicial killings. I am not going to, though.

[insan]

Special War Department wasn't a secret organization; it was founded in 1952 and legitimized with a law signed by the then Prime Minister of Turkey and concerned Turkish officials.

Sorry, but it wasn't. All laws passed in Turkey are published in the Official Gazette. So when was this law passed and what is its number? The existence of the Special War Department was a secret for many years.

Here is the press release of General Staff regarding the legitimacy of Special War Department.

http://www.tumgazeteler.com/?a=1283573

[Tim Drayton]

According to the an article in the respected Radikal newspaper, Kemal Yamak said that the USA gave one million dollars on a regular basis each year to the Special War Department.

http://www.radikal.com.tr/Default.aspx? ... egoryID=98

[Tim Drayton]

My dear Insan, if we simply consult the article that you posted for my benefit saying "Here's a potentially more accurate article directly from the mouth of Tansu."

http://www.tumgazeteler.com/?a=2839609

we find the following sentence:

İsmail Tansu `nun binbaşı olarak görev yaptığı o yıllarda Seferberlik Tetkik Kurulu (1970`ten sonra Özel Harp Dairesi olarak anıldı), ABD `nin teklifi üzerine Genelkurmay Başkanlığı bünyesinde gizlice kurulmuştu.

The Mobilisation Research Body in which İsmail Tansu served as a major (it was known as the Special War Department after 1970) was established secretly at the behest of the USA within the structure of the Office of the General Staff.

[insan]

My dear Insan, if we simply consult the article that you posted for my benefit saying "Here's a potentially more accurate article directly from the mouth of Tansu."

http://www.tumgazeteler.com/?a=2839609

we find the following sentence:

İsmail Tansu `nun binbaşı olarak görev yaptığı o yıllarda Seferberlik Tetkik Kurulu (1970`ten sonra Özel Harp Dairesi olarak anıldı), ABD `nin teklifi üzerine Genelkurmay Başkanlığı bünyesinde gizlice kurulmuştu.

The Mobilisation Research Body in which İsmail Tansu served as a major (it was known as the Special War Department after 1970) was established secretly at the behest of the USA within the structure of the Office of the General Staff.

Dear Tim;

Secretly organizing it and being a secret/illegal organization is 2 different things... Ain't it?

[Tim Drayton]

I have found an English translation of part of the interview given to Milliyet by Bülent Ecevit on November 13, 1990, in which he spoke of how he first learned of the existence of the Special War Department at a time when he was prime-minister:

http://www.info-turk.be/169.E.htm

"In 1974, just before the military operation in Cyprus, I was informed for the first time about the existence of a department in charge of special warfare within the headquarters of the Turkish general staff. They were asking for money. When I inquired who had funded the department until then I was told that it was financed by the United States," said Ecevit.
"When I insisted, a secret briefing on the functioning of this organization was given to me and the then defense minister Hasan Esat Isik. We were told the Special Warfare Department was an organization composed of 'volunteer patriots.' They said its headquarters was located in the same building as the US military aid delegation to Turkey. I was told also that the organization had secret weapons depots. Its members were trained in special warfare techniques. If and when the country was invaded by an aggressor the members of this clandestine organization were supposed to launch counter-guerrilla warfare against the invaders. I was told the organization was made up of mainly young people but that when they got elder they might eventually become politicians.
"This was a secret weapon. I thought we should act swiftly and put measures into force against the organization's use. But that was at the time of the Cyprus operation. Nothing was done."