Snapshots of Life in Old İzmir with 100 Photographs ON THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF İZMİR’S LIBERATION
After the Ottomans surrendered at the end of World War I and signed the Armistice of Mudros on October 31, 1918, Greek forces occupied İzmir on May 15, 1919. The Turkish Army under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal, took İzmir back on September 9, 1922, after a two-year war, followed by a fire which destroyed half the city. The fire was the end of an era. In the years following the declaration of the Republic of Turkey on October 29, 1923, “Cosmopolitan Smyrna” destroyed by the fire has risen from its ashes as “Turkish İzmir”. The war that finished the most cosmopolitan city in the Ottoman Empire also created the modern state of Türkiye out of the wreckage of the Ottoman Empire. Reconstruction of İzmir after the Great Fire of September 1922 was an important part of the nation-building process after the War of Independence.
İzmir now is a completely different city than what it was a century ago. The İzmir of 1922 has vanished entirely and another has taken its place. As we tell the story of old İzmir, we seek our past in our own memory, but we do forget, indeed. As Necati Cumalı describes in his poem “İthaf “ (dedication):
“The tears, the wishes for happiness, now secret Stories of centuries told to us are secret Whatever known as Old İzmir by one and all is the broken-down narrative the elders tell.”
To Ray Nutt, CEO Fathom Events 6465 Greenwood Plaza Blvd, Suite 550 Centennial, CO, 80111
December 22, 2022
Dear Mr. Nutt,
I am writing to you in connection with the showing of the “Smyrna” movie on 700 screens in USA on December 8. Suffice it to say that, I am appalled. The claim made in the movie, that Turks were responsible for the catastrophic Izmir fire in September 1922 in Western Anatolia, is an outright deception. The movie is supposedly based on the family diary of an elderly Greek-American woman who lived in the cosmopolitan city at the time.
Before you decided to showcase this movie, have you checked the authenticity of the contents? Surely, just like for any commercial undertaking, for Fathom Events the bottom-line matters. But you also have responsibility to ascertain that a movie production or the like does not unjustly offend a particular ethnic group, or saw the seeds of animosity between ethnic groups.
The fact is, “Smyrna” is very offensive to Turkish Americans because it falsifies history, and in a way, defames them. It is also divisive.
Without belaboring the details, I am attaching two documents for your viewing. One of them is the scanned heading of a news coverage from San Antonio Express dated January 22, 1923, four months after the Smyrna fire. The heading reads “Armenians, Not Turks Set Smyrna Ablaze, the Relief Worker Declares,” and continues, “American Who Reached City Before Occupation Says Victors Not Responsible for Destruction.” The photo caption is that of Mark O. Prentiss, the American representative of the Near East Relief. The story recounts evidence gathered by Prentiss himself and Paul Grescovish, chief of the Smyrna fire department, that it was the Armenians that had set the city ablaze. Within the text, Prentiss also states that the evidence runs counter general belief prevalent in USA.
The news coverage is based on a detailed January 11, 1923 report Prentiss sent to Rear Admiral Mark L. Bristol, the US High Commissioner at the American Embassy in Istanbul. If you like, I can send you the scanned copy of the entire news coverage.
The second attachment is an account provided by a French scholar who researched the topic. In his account he summarizes his conclusion: “Inferno of Izmir” on September 13, 1922 was mainly committed by Armenian terrorists, but also aided by Greek elements.”
As a matter of fact, as the Turkish troops advanced to free the city from Greek occupation, they had no reason to set the city afire because they needed all the resources including shelter, running water, food supplies, etc. that were available in the city. Turks were not crazy to burn the city they had just captured.
Izmir has been a Turkish city since 1415. It was occupied by Greek forces on May 15, 1919 and recaptured by Turkish forces on September 9, 1922. For centuries until World War I, Greeks, Turks, Armenians, Jews and and Levantines lived in the city harmoniously
I can also provide historical data from other sources, e.g., historians Lord Kinross and Stanford Shaw, to convince you that Turks were not responsible for the Izmir (Smyrna) fire. But for the purpose of this letter, what I have provided will suffice.
Given the background above, the question is, what will Fathom Events do to rectify its misdeed? Your company is one of the largest distributors of “content” to movie theatres. I understand there are plans to screen “Smyrna” at the European Parliament in Brussels on January 11, 2023, as well as at other festivals and events around the world, possibly even at the US Congress.
One thing you can do is to cancel further distribution and showing of “Smyrna.” You can also issue mea culpa or public apology to Turkish American community.
Finally, Mr. Nutt, your company may take the position that it is legally protected under freedom of speech guaranteed in First Amendment. But I am sure you know that free speech has limitations, one of them being defamation. Creating animosity between ethnic communities also runs against the spirit of peaceful co-existence.
We condemn the Producers of the movie Smyrna and their supporters and organizations
“War is murder unless unless it is based on legitimate grounds.” M. Kemal Ataturk
There is a part of the sentence that describes the movie SMYRNA, which will be in theaters nationwide in the UK on December 4th, and in the US on December 8th, for one day only. That part of the sentence reads: “moving drama about an elderly Greek American woman whose family diary recounts the Turkish occupation of the cosmopolitan city of Smyrna in 1922; where Greeks, Turks, Jews, Armenians, and Levantines once lived together harmoniously.” That should actually read like this: “ “moving drama about an elderly Turkish woman whose family diary recounts the 1919 invasion of the cosmopolitan city of Smyrna by the Greek Army, who committed atrocities against the civilian Turkish population in the villages and towns, where Greeks, Turks, Jews, Armenians, and Levantines once lived together harmoniously.”
The advertisement for the film is historically incorrect, describing a “historic film about the Turkish occupation in 1922”… “The historical events and facts” clearly show that the occupying side was the Greeks, not the Turks. The Ottoman Empire was occupied and partitioned by the Allied Forces following its defeat in World War I….IZMIR (Smryna), which has been under Turkish rule beginning in 1081, and part of the Ottoman Empire since 1426, was invaded by the Greek Forces on May 15, 1919. The idea to occupy İzmir came from then British Prime Minister of the time, Lloyd George, with the suggestion of Greek Prime Minister Elefterios Venizelos; after The Ottoman Empire, suffering defeat, signed the Mudros Armistice Agreement at the end of World War I. Article 7 of the Mudros Armistice Agreement specified that the allied forces had a right to occupy any strategic location in the event of a threat to the security of the allies. Using Article 7 as an excuse, Great Britain, France and USA came to an agreement and decided for the occupation of Izmir by Greece, on behalf of the Allied Powers; even though they did not have the right to do so! There was no event that would endanger the security of the Allied Forces in İzmir… Despite this, the occupation of Izmir by the Greek Army happened on May 15, 1919; violence and massacres took place with the cooperation of local Greeks, in and around Izmir. The Armistice of Mudros was abolished with the signing of Treaty of Lausanne on July 24, 1923; following the Turkish victory in the War of Independence. Even though the Greek occupiers tried to conceal massacres on local Muslim populations; testimonials of British, American, Swedish and Canadian officials in the British archive documents clearly reveal the facts. And there are books written about the historical facts by unbiased Greek historians.
But the most powerful confirmation of these facts came from a very unexpected source; the person who came up with the suggestion to invade Izmir; The Greek Prime Minister Elefterios Venizelos himself! In 1928, Venizelos changed his attitude and made attempts to start a friendship with Turkey and the founder of the newly established Turkish Republic, Atatürk. As a matter of fact, he nominated his old enemy Atatürk for the Nobel Peace Prize on 12 January 1934. And, In 1981, the centennial of Atatürk’s birth, the memory of Atatürk was honored by the United Nations and UNESCO by declaring it that year “The Atatürk Year” in the World. These two extraordinary facts are clearly enough to show the worldwide acceptance of the great Turkish military leader and peace-loving statesman Atatürk, and the injustice and oppression that was once committed against the Turks. His old enemy, Venizelos, admitted Greece’s past mistakes against the Turks; The United Nations, on the other hand, told the world that there is no other peace-loving leader like Atatürk. He is the only person worthy of such recognition by UNESCO
How could this be possible if he was the commander of a cruel and murderous army as described in the movie SMYRNA?
Although the Greek and Turkish peoples went to war due to political problems and went through very difficult times, their common cultural and artistic values have brought them closer together over the centuries. We, as the followers of the legendary world leader Ataturk around the world; with the awareness of the enlightenment that Atatürk brought to the Turkish people and the philosophy of peace he wished for all humanity; and with respect for Venizelos’ great step for friendship, condemn the producers of the film Smyrna and everyone and every organization who supports such productions by distorting historical facts for the sake of their political ambitions. We invite you to be PEACEFUL, not HATEFUL. Atatürk World Platform-AWP
Ray Nutt, CEO Fathom Events Rnutt@fathomevents.com
Dear Mr. Nutt,
We are writing to you in relation to the movie “Smyrna”, which we understand will be screened on December 8, 2022 at multiple theaters across the U.S. during an organization by Fathom Events. The Turkish-American community is deeply disturbed and offended by the fact that this production, which is portraying an unsubstantiated and erroneous account of historical events, is afforded such a vast platform by your company. We would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight concerning its subject matter.
We condemn the movie ‘’Smyrna’’ which is full of black propaganda. The Turkish War of Independence was conducted between 1919 and 1922, against those who coveted Anatolia, our homeland. Led by the Great Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, it resulted in a rightful victory of independence and freedom as well as paved the way for the proclamation of the modern Turkish Republic.
It also challenged the imperialistic ambitions of the era, which envisioned Greece waging an invasion and occupation of the Turkish homeland, starting in İzmir, referred to as “Smyrna” by the said production. During this course of events, Greece committed most heinous atrocities against humanity in Turkish territories. The occupying Greek forces resorted to brutal and savage methods in Anatolia, including but not limited to perpetrating massacres of the Turks.
We do not intend to open up a debate on history. However, if there needs to be a quick reminder, in the face of the horrors caused by the Greek occupation in Anatolia, Greece’s war-time allies had to investigate its crimes against humanity by establishing an Investigation Commission. Furthermore, Greece’s vicious acts were registered as contrary to the law of war in the 59th Article of the Lausanne Peace Treaty of 1923. The liability of the tragic events of the time falls on the Greek side— not on the Turks, as attempted to be depicted in “Smyrna”. This production, as a whole, is devoid of any historical credibility. In the records and archives, there is no historical evidence that fire was caused due to the act of Turkish side. Also, as it can be seen from the works of Turkish history specialist, such as Bernard Lewis, Donald Webster and Lord Kinross, there was never an intention from Turkish authorities to commit such anBarbaric crime.
We are concerned by the negative implications of the continuation misleading, irresponsible black propaganda on peace and cooperation between communities. The influential medium of art has the sacrosanct responsibility to help lay the ground for cooperation and solidarity in our Nation, most especially between the communities forming it. Never should it incite hatred and animosity. Enabling those who wish to manipulate this medium to amplify their black propaganda through demagoguery cannot serve that end. We kindly call youfor common sense and ask you to refrain from contributing this black propaganda.
We earnestly hope that you will consider the dissemination of future projects with greater scrutiny and sensitivity.
Shortened version of article “Revisiting the Fire of Izmir” published in Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, V. 41, No. 1, Fall 2017.
September 13, 2012 is the 90th anniversary of the “Inferno of Izmir” when a great fire broke out that destroyed more than three-fifths of the town. Some Western sources have wrongly placed the culpability for the fire on Turks that recaptured the city from occupying Greek army in September 1922. To that end, Governor George Pataki of New York, playing ethnic politics, shamelessly issued a proclamation in 2002 blaming Turks for the fire.
Historical testimonials, however, clearly indicate that, while the retreating Greek army had a role in starting the fire, Armenian terrorists, dressed in Turkish uniforms, did the biggest damage.
Atrocities by Greek and Armenian elements had actually started as early as mid-May 1919 right after the Greek landing in Izmir. Due to the pressure of the Entente’s representatives, the Greek High Command sentenced dozens of criminals in spring 1919; among the sentenced were 12 Armenians. The atrocities continued during the whole Greco-Turkish war, with Armenians participating in the violence and destruction. In a July 1922 report, Elzéar Guiffray, the administrator of the Izmir’s port, estimated that more than 150,000 Turks were killed, or “disappeared,” as a result of the Greek armed forces’ war crimes.
The summer of 1922 was a culmination of the Greek scorched-earth policy. The Greek army forced the Christian population to leave, and burned everything, including houses of the Christians. This scorched-earth policy is established both by the report of Father Ludovic Marseille, chief of the Catholic mission in Eskișehir (who said that the Greeks had lost forever any right to speak about “Turkish barbarity”), and by a dispatch sent by the staff of USS Litchfield to Admiral Mark Bristol, the US High Commissionner at the American Embassy in Istanbul.
According to a report by a the French Navy’s Intelligence Service (Izmir office), dated 15 November 1920, Armenians, both civilians and legionnaires, arrived in Izmir from Cilicia, engaged in arson, and tried to excite the Greek army against the Turkish population. (During the French occupation of Cilicia, the Armenian Legion committed so many crimes that the Legion itself was disbanded in disgrace [phrase used by French General Jules Hamelin in his mémoires] in summer 1920 and at least five Armenians and one Assyrian were hanged by the French military justice in July 1920 alone. The practice of arson by Armenians, especially in Adana, was a recurrent grievance in the French sources). Missionary Alexander MacLachlan, based on his investigation, also concluded that “Armenian terrorists, dressed in Turkish uniforms, set fire to the city.” The terrorists were evidently attempting to bring Western intervention.
The Western sources clearly demonstrate that the attitude of the Turkish army during the final offensive was strikingly correct. For instance, General Pellé, the French High Commissioner in Istanbul, wrote on September 8, 1922, that since a long time, even the Greek patriarchate had not reported to him any “Kemalist massacre.”
After a careful investigation made together with Admiral Charles Dumesnil, chief of the French Navy in the Near East, and other French representatives, French Consul General Michel Graillet of Izmir also concluded that “the Turkish army has clearly nothing to do with the arson,” and that “quite the contrary, it fought the fire to the extent of its meager resources.” Dumesnil knew the Turkish army from the Çanakkale battle where he had fought. If the irregulars (“çete”) of the Turkish army pillaged a house, they faced immediate execution.
The Turkish army, in fact, had no reason to start fire in Izmir. The fleeing Greek army had abandoned huge quantities of military and food supplies that were desperately needed by the Turkish army and civilians. During several weeks after the fire, Turkish commanders were contemptuous of suggestions, made in a few quarters, that they had any responsibility for the burning. The commanders said that, considering what the Greeks had left behind, it would have been foolish of them to set fire to the city.
In short, the “Inferno of Izmir” on September 13, 1922 was mainly committed by Armenian terrorists, but also aided by Greek elements.
Maxime Gauin is a researcher and a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of History, Middle East Technical University.
Full titles read: “THE BURNING OF SMYRNA – Authentic pictures that beggar description – taken by PATHE Cameraman now in the Near East.”
Various L/S’s of smoke pouring from burning buildings. M/S of thick black smoke. L/S of large building ablaze on the coast, a large rowing boat can be packed with people on the river. M/S of rowing boat with refugees in it. M/S’s of more rowing boats colliding with one another. L/S of refugees on the deck of a ship.
L/S’s of burning buildings of Smyrna, there is and incredible amount of destruction. Footage of the town burning at night, the flames illuminate the night sky. Intertitle reads: “Britain’s Watch Dogs – Majestic in their silent guard of the Dardanelles – are instantly ready.” L/S of the fleet of battleships of the Royal Navy in the Dardanelles.
Note: the main complete story is followed by approximately 9 minutes of cuts similar to main story.
01:50:46 L/S of refugees climbing aboard French rescue ship from small boat. L/S of the large ship with French Flag flying. Various shots of refugees on the deck of the ship. Some look very distressed. Several shots of the town on fire.
01:53:37 M/S of women refugees walking with their children. Numerous shots of lifeboats rescuing the hundreds of civilians who are waiting at the pier. L/S’s of the crowd. M/S of man on raised platform handing out bread to mass crowd of hungry refugees who reach out desperately with their hands.
01:55:16 Some good footage of refugees standing in the debris of the ruined town. L/S of market stall with bread on it, refugees push and shove to get to it. L/S of soldiers marching.
