TurkishReactionsandtheLawof 1938
AlreadyaroundthetimeofDiem’svisittoTurkeytherehadbeencallsinthe
TurkishBoyScoutmovementforastrongerstatesupervision.Pointingtothe
Frenchmodel,theTurkishGeneralStaff,theMinistryofDefenseandofEduca-
tionshould“taketheBoyScouttopicintheirhandsasanationalsubject”.²⁴⁴
Accordingly,theTurkishBoyScoutleadershipwouldprovideadvisorysupport,
drawingontheirrichexperience.TheorientationoftheBoyScoutswasclear
duringthose years.TheBoyScoutswereseenasthe bestpreparation of
youngmenformilitaryservice:“Theadolescent,trainedasanagile,intelligent,
exclusivelychosen,ownerofastrongwill,usedtodiscipline,sturdy[gürbüz]
andvigilantBoyScoutwillbethemostexcellentsoldierintheTurkisharmy
thatwilleverbeformedinthefuture.”²⁴⁵
TheTurkishstatesupportedthoseclaims.IntheyearthatSelimSırrıretired,
theMinistryofEducationcreatedaspecialdepartmentforphysicaleducation
andBoyScouting.²⁴⁶ThetopicwasalsopopularamongTurkishsportstudents
studyingabroad.AstudentinDiem’sformerHochschulefürLeibesübungen
even wrotehisthesis about themilitarizedphysical educationin Turkish
schools.²⁴⁷Inasimilarvein,aformerGermanofficerwhohadwithnessedthe
BoyScoutparadeduringtheNationalDayinAnkarawasfullofpraiseforthe
Turkishyouthmovementanditsmilitaristspirit:
“[...]Officerswithwarexperience[...]educatetheyouthaccordingtothewilloftheGazi,
mainlyinthespiritoftheTurkishwarofliberationinwhichthoseofficershadfought.[...]
‘Askerlik’isratheramatteroftheheartthanofthehead.Itmeansfulfillmentofduties,
reliability,physicalandmoralcleanliness,abstinence,loyalty,camaraderie,openand
hardmanliness.[...]LookingattheTurkishyouthIthinkback 25 yearsintime.Inthose
daysIwasamemberoftheWehrkraftyouthassociation.[...]Thetimewillcome[inGer-
many]torecallthepremilitarytrainingoftheyouthinitsultimateresult.”²⁴⁸M.Raif,“BizdeİzcilikNeİdi-NeDir-NeOlacak?5:BaşkaMemeleketlerdeİzcilik”[What
was,Whatis,WhatwillbeScoutingforBoysinourCountry?No.5:BoyScoutinginotherNa-
tions],TürkİzcilerBirliği7( 19 32),4.
DanişRemzi,“BuGününİzcisiYarınınAskeridir”[Today’sBoyScoutisTomorrow’sSol-
dier],TürkİzcilerBirliği 18 – 19 – 20 (19 33 ),8.
LawNo. 2773 ,T.C.ResmiGazete 15 June 1935 ,5 33 2.
CfthegraduationthesisofNefiKadri,WieheuteinderTürkeiWehr-Sportgeführtwirdund
geführtwerdenmuss(Diplomathesis,HochschulefürLeibesübungenBerlin, 19 34), 23 withsim-
ilarclaimsasDieminhis 1933 report.
Br.[Anonymous],“DievormilitärischeErziehungdertürkischenJugend,”MWB 121 – 35
(1937),cols.2 087 – 2089.
152 3German-Ottoman/TurkishCooperationintheMobilizationofYouth