Party's independent foreign policy, industrialization ambitions troubled some powers in West, says Turkish historian
With a dark stain remaining from the May 27 military coup against the government of Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes even after 61 years, Furkan Kaya, a historian at Istanbul’s Yeditepe University, gave an exclusive interview to Anadolu Agency on the reasons for and consequences of the coup, post-coup show trials and related issues.
The Democrat Party’s assumption of power through general elections on May 14, 1950 was dubbed “the White Revolution” in Turkey. The party pursued ground-breaking policies in foreign policy, economy and diplomacy. But a junta formed by a group of officers of the Turkish Armed Forces following a coup on May 27, 1960 led to turmoil and an authoritarian regime that was ruled the country for 10 years.
AA- To put the matter in context, could you please briefly tell us how the process that eventually led to the coup started?
KAYA- The Korean War, which erupted shortly after the Democrat Party assumed power, created an excellent opportunity for Turkey to take its place in the Western bloc and become a member of NATO in 1952. Back then, the Menderes government and military authorities convened a meeting at President Celal Bayar’s mansion in northwestern Yalova province and decided to send a Turkish brigade of 4,500 soldiers [to join the United Nations Command in Korea] without consulting the Turkish parliament, which drew a strong reaction. A process during which the opposition strongly criticized this decision started. What is more important, however, is that the prime minister allowed the adhan, or [Muslim] call to prayer, to be recited in its original language, Arabic. This led to the formation of some juntas in the armed forces. Another contemporary process in Turkey is the country becoming a member of the NATO military alliance, which paved the way for the flow of modern military equipment and American aid.
AA- Against this background, how did the Democrat Party’s economy and development policies influence this process?
KAYA- After assuming power, the party wanted to follow policies that would create a fully autonomous and industrialized Turkey. Nevertheless, the role America cast for Turkey at the time was quite different. The American perspective was that Turkey should be a wheat basket for the world and its manufacturing capacities should be limited to light industries. They didn’t want Turkey to build a heavy industrial capacity. As such, Turkey’s path of industrialization under the Menderes administration from 1954 onwards started to create disturbances in America. Remember, 15 cement and six sugar refineries were built and the construction of 11 seaports was completed. Meanwhile, over 23,000 kilometers (around 14,300 miles) of inter-city roads and more than 30,000 kilometers (over 18,600 miles) of village road networks were built. All these efforts were in line with the party’s aim of making Turkey economically and diplomatically independent.
AA- Is there a connection between the May 27 coup and Turkey’s role in the Cyprus issue, as argued by some?
KAYA- Yes. We should highlight that Turkey’s increasing involvement in the Cyprus issue, especially from 1955 on, played a role in the course of developments that led to the coup. Fatin Rustu Zorlu, the Turkish foreign minister at the time, had an essential postulation that he presented at the first London Conference [on Cyprus in 1955]. Accordingly, Turkey has rights in Cyprus as much as Greece has, and Turkey is the protector of the Cypriot Turks. If Britain ended its rule of the island, then Cyprus should be left to Turkey, which legally recognized the Ottoman Empire's successor state, he argued. It is fair to argue that this state of affairs was behind the notorious Sept. 6-7 incidents in 1955.
While the negotiations over the Cyprus issue were underway between Turkey, Greece and the UK, British Ambassador to Turkey James Bowker made assessments on Adnan Menderes and Fatin Rustu Zorlu in a letter he sent to the British premier of the time. Calling them “smart foxes,” he called for their removal from power. More pro-American and pro-British figures should assume power, he added. That is to say, the plot for the May 27 coup was international and involved intelligence factors, among other things.
AA – So you assert that Turkey’s developing more autonomous foreign policy tendencies created displeasure in some countries. Which countries can we point to particularly?
KAYA – With the suspension of foreign aid and loans, Turkey felt economically and diplomatically abandoned. At this point, Foreign Minister Zorlu maintained that Turkey shouldn’t follow an American-oriented foreign policy and relations with the USSR could be improved. The Soviet aid issue and the geographical proximity of Turkey to the Soviet Union troubled America. Under such conditions, the path to the coup gained momentum.
AA- What can you say about the legality of the show trial on the island of Yassiada?
KAYA- Prosecutors in Yassiada classified accusations under two main categories: Violating the constitution and corruption. From the very beginning of the so-called legal procedure, the accusations lacked solid evidence. For instance, no proof whatsoever was presented regarding Menderes’ role in the notorious Sept. 6-7 incidents.
Also, before the beginning of the trials, prominent civilian and military figures who were involved in the coup or the show trials such as Cemal Madanoglu, Salim Basol and Tarik Guryay were quite anxious about a possible widespread upheaval if Menderes chose to pursue a defiant attitude.
Menderes underwent heavy psychological and physical violence. Furthermore, some witnesses later claimed that he was injected with some drugs to make him less responsive. As such, he was very naïve and calm during the trials.
To show the illegality and illegitimacy of the trials, the following remarks by Salim Basol, the president of the trial at Yassiada, are very illustrative. He said: “Those who put you in jail want so.”
AA – Lastly, in light of such historical findings, what is to be conceived from the May 27 coup?
KAYA- The 10 years of rule of the Democrat Party are both an important reference point and a laboratory for Turkish political life. I mean, some modern plots against Turkey are a reflection, a continuation of the mentality which ousted and executed Menderes. I, here, refer to the military coups of March 12, 1971, Sept. 12, 1980, Feb. 28, 1997 and the July 15, 2016 defeated coup. However, this mentality is doomed to fail, I would like to underscore, because the Turkish nation always reflects its will in elections.
