ERKAN ESMER <e_esmer@esmerassociates.com>

TURKISHFORUM ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER

To the attention of HBO Producers

During the third episode of the television show “The Pacific” which started airing on March 14th, 2010 in the USA, the dialogue between Marine soldier Lecky and the Greek woman is in contradiction with historical facts and aims to offend Turkey in the eyes of the international community. This scene suggests that Turks have invaded and ransacked Izmir.

First and foremost, we believe that this dialogue has been intentionally included in the script:

1. Even though a dialogue like this is not present in the original book the movie based on, “Helmet for My Pillow” written by Robert Leckie. In the HBO show, The Marine sadly listens to this “fictitious invasion”.

2. Although the movie describes WW2, Japan and the United States and the truth about the Pacific front in the 1940’s; the audience is strangely left to see the story of a sacked Anatolian city in the 20’s, which is totally false.

Millions of people who watched the show probably don’t know that Izmir (Smyrna) was in fact a Turkish City which was invaded by the Greeks. They probably have no idea about the history of Turkey and her struggles to become a free republic after WWI. You are letting them believe that Izmir was a Greek city and that it was invaded and sacked by the Turks. In fact, Izmir (Smyrna) is a Turkish city where both Greeks and Turks live together and governed by Turkish states since the 14th century.

Izmir and western part of Turkey was invaded by the Greek army on May 15, 1919; the city was besieged for 3 years, 3 months and 24 days by the Greeks and was saved by the national war waged by the Turkish people on September 9, 1922. In short, Izmir is not a Greek city that was sacked by the Turks, but rather a Turkish city that was sacked by the Greek government.

And when it comes to the great fire of Izmir, there are various theories. It is said that either the soldiers under Nurettin Pasha, fleeing Greeks or resisting Armenians might be responsible for the fire. In fact, there are some stories that suggest that the fire started in a cathedral where armory that belonged to resisting Armenians blew up. We would like to stress that it is not ethical to suggest statements in such a certain manner in a situation even when historians don’t agree upon them. The Greek invaders, “genetic arsonists” had used the Scorched Earth tactics, and burned most of western Turkey to the ground, while raping innocent women and stealing people’s moneys. Why would the Turks, who were in desperate straits at the time, burn one of their most beautiful cities. How can anyone who doesn’t have rocks between their ears, believe that The Turks burned their second largest city?

This scene, which has apparently nothing to do with the entire concept of the show, looks like a clear case of lobbying. Once again, we would like to point out that this situation is blackening the independence struggle of a nation and wish that HBO would not be a mediator for misleading and provocative maneuvers such as this one.

I am herewith enclosing a clipping of San Antonia Express on January 22, 1923 whose reporter had interviewed with Mr. Mark Prentice, American Representative to Near East Relief Fund who was at the site at the time of Izmir (Smyrna) fire and was in a position to figure out the truth, which seems to have escaped HBO. Certainly no one has ever accused Near East Relief Fund to be pro Turkish.  HBO should be smart enough to figure out that it has more Turkish viewers than Greeks!