Memories of a Turkish Statesman, 1913-1919

MY personal participation in general politics in the Ottoman Empire begins with the coup d’état of January 23, 1913.

On the evening of that day I left the headquarters of the Lines of Communication Inspectorate and went to the Sublime Porte, to which a great crowd was flocking at the time.

At that moment Mahmud Shefket Pasha, who had been appointed Grand Vizier a few hours before, returned from the Imperial Palace and met me at the entrance to the Grand Vizier’s palace.

He had hardly seen me before he called out: “Djemal Bey, I want you to take over the Military Governorship of Constantinople at once and you must not lose a minute in taking all measures you think necessary for the preservation of order and confidence in the capital.”

As I have said, my assumption of the highly important and equally responsible office of Military Governor of Constantinople meant my direct participation in general politics in my Fatherland. I thus find myself compelled to start my memoirs at that point.—Pasha Ahmed Djemal