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PREFACE
There have been three coups in Turkey in as many decades. Each of these has resulted in significant transformations in the country’s social and political life.
For Turkey as well as for the Western alliance, the 1980 intervention, however, was by far the most important in its revolutionary effects across the entire social, economic and political fabric of Turkish life.
There is no doubt that the generals who came to power during the early hours of 12 September 1980 have stamped their imprint on every aspect of Turkish society for the foreseeable future. This is a unique phenomenon since the days of the founding of the Turkish Republic under the aegis of the legendary Mustafa Kemal Ataturk who created modern Turkey from the debris of a theocratic empire.
This work by the doyen of Turkish foreign affairs correspondents sets out to be a readable and impartial account of that crucial period in Turkish history (and of the highly strategic region where the country is located) which culminated in the military takeover of September 1980.
The book breaks totally new ground in revealing for the first time ever the military planning, personalities, and motivation behind this coup in an important NATO ally, which maintains the largest armed forces in the Alliance’s European wing. It is a first-hand account of military behaviour and strategies that have so profoundly shaped — and continue to do so — Turkey’s present contours.
The substantive chapters of the book are comprised of detailed accounts of the planning behind ‘Operation Flag’ (the codename given to the intervention) dating back to 1979. Through these and other chapters, the book describes the functioning of the decision-making processes in the armed forces and the ideas motivating Turkey’s military elite. Even specialist literature on the subject seldom provides such ‘qualitative’ material on the country’s military.
Neither the Turkish original nor the English adaptation of Mehmet Ali Birand’s book purports to be an academic treatise on modern Turkish history and politics. But, assuming that people are not sufficiently informed about the recent past of the country, there is adequate background material on events and personalities.
While the main focus of the book is on the Turkish military, two other important themes are explored. These are, firstly, Turkey’s international relations within the context of NATO and various economic agencies such as the IMF and the OECD, and secondly, the political crisis which triggered off the intervention. These two aspects are woven into an account of ‘Operation Flag’ and its immediate aftermath. The book, therefore, provides the basic outline of the country’s rapid slide into social disorder, political deadlock and economic insolvency between 1977 and 1980. The period is also of general interest because of growing concerns over the strength of NATO’s south-eastern flank following developments in Iran and Afghanistan, and ensuing policy alignments in the Middle East.
The sources used in the preparation of the book are also unique in that these include the first systematic set of in-depth interviews conducted since the coup with both Turkey’s former and present rulers. Apart from interviews with 165 central protagonists from the Turkish Armed Forces and the old political establishment, the writer has had access to 1,250 documents, mainly unclassified and confidential reports and minutes of meetings, hitherto unavailable to researchers.
Like the Turkish original, the English version of Mehmet Ali Birand’s book addresses itself to a mass audience. It is written in journalistic style, with emphasis on events and personalities, and provides a source-book on Turkey as well as for general comparative studies of the military in politics. (The Turkish edition remained in the best-seller lists throughout its eight reprints in as many months.)
In short, the work is intended to appeal to a spectrum of English-speaking public, ranging from people interested in the workings of a political system in a developing country to Americans and Europeans increasingly attracted by the economic and military opportunities offered by this geo-politically crucial — but relatively little-known — member of NATO.
Chronology of Main
Events 1960—80
1960 27 May: military takeover. The entire parliamentary group of the Democratic Party (founded in 1946) arrested and put on military trial.
1961 Prime Minister Menderes, his Foreign Minister Fatin Rüştü Zorlu and Finance Minister Hasan Polatkan hanged. Death sentence on President Celal Bayar (Economy Minister and, briefly, Prime Minister under Ataturk) commuted to life imprisonment. Liberal Constitution promulgated after referendum.
1962 Attempted coups by junior officers. Veteran politician Ismet Inönü (1885-1972) leads RPP, JP and minority party coalition.
1963 Treaty of Ankara with the EEC. Young Minister of Labour Btilent Ecevit introduces right to strike and lockout laws.
1964 President Johnson’s private letter to Prime Minister Inönü warns the Turkish side that NATO equipment can not be used in the impending intervention in Cyprus following communal violence. ‘Johnson’s letter’ a turning point in US-Turkish relations. Suleyman Demirel, aged 42, elected leader of the Justice Party (JP)
1965 Demirel wins elections. Workers Party of Turkey gains 15 seats in the National Assembly.
1966 RPP, under the influence of new Secretary-general Bülent Ecevit goes ‘left-of-centre’ with the blessing of fsmet Inonti. First newspaper reports of ‘commando camps’ for right-wing activists.
1967 Feyzioglu and friends secede from the RPP.
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