THEN GO TO GREECE
Mr. Salih Bozok recounts another memory of Atatürk as follows:
The day before the Great Izmir Fire, I entered the Governor's
office at the Government House to present information to Mustafa
Kemal Pasha. Inside were Mustafa Kemal, the Governor, and the
British Consul.
Mustafa Kemal Pasha harshly addressed the British Consul:
-Do you want
assurances from me regarding your citizens? Were your citizens
(nationals) safer when the Greeks were here?
When the British Consul replied:
-Yes,
Mustafa Kemal Pasha became even more stern and loudly declared:
-In that case, go to
Greece!
The British Consul, faced with this outburst, asked:
-Are you declaring war on England too?
In response to the British Consul's overstepping of bounds, Atatürk
spoke, as if slapping him:
-Has peace been made
between us and England? You're asking whether I've declared war. And are
you authorized to discuss such things, that you're asking me this?" I am
the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and the
Commander-in-Chief of the Turkish Armies. I have the authority to
discuss everything. If you have such authority, then only then can we
discuss it with you. If you don't have such authority, then go ahead.
As Mustafa Kemal Pasha said, "Go ahead," he was showing the
British Consul the door. The British and French navies were at the
port. A crowd of Greeks, driven from the areas cleared of the enemy, had
turned the dock into a place of devastation.
Shortly after the British Consul left the Government House, we arrived
at our residence. Meanwhile, preparations began in the port fleet. All
hell broke loose in Izmir. Boats from the ships would come to the shore,
pick up any foreign nationals on the docks, and take them to the ships.
The consul told the commander of his fleet that the Turks had also
declared war on the British. The situation was extremely serious. While
the boats were picking up the foreigners on the docks and carrying them
to the ships, the fleet commander sent several of his officers to
Mustafa Kemal Pasha, requesting information about the situation.
I don't know exactly what was said. But Mustafa Kemal Pasha must have
explained the situation, because the truth was understood, and the
atmosphere of panic and anxiety returned to normal. One of the officers
sent from the fleet to meet with Mustafa Kemal Pasha had such great
affection and respect for him that I heard him ask permission to kiss
his hand.
After the Izmir fire, we moved into Muammer Bey's house. We stayed there
for three weeks. During this time, all of us, from Mustafa Kemal Pasha
to our servants, experienced Latife Hanım's exceptionally warm and kind
attention.
After arriving in Ankara from Izmir, Mustafa Kemal Pasha would speak of
Latife Hanım almost every evening at the dinner table, praising her.