Istanbul
Turkey is in awful shape. It has faced only economic hardship as a result
of being neither allied with Great Britain, the United States, and the USSR
nor openly siding with the Nazis, although the prime minister hopes for
their victory.^59 Turkey’s decision to declare war on Germany will not come
for another five months. Saracogˇlu has implemented the tax to take wealth
away from the Christians, Jews, and foreigners and put it in the hands of
the Turks (Muslims) and state economy, but this has not produced the
expected results, only causing foreigners to lose their respect for Turkey
and vocal minorities to criticize his beloved nation. He has turned on the
local press. He had no tolerance of criticism either of his plan to crush
the minorities or of those who criticize the Nazis. They had to know their
place. When they went beyond it, they had to be punished.^60
He beckons the man in the dusty shoes who waits at the threshold
of the door to enter his office. Unfortunately, it is that journalist, the
grandson of Shabbatai Tzevi. Hasn’t he given up yet? The prime minister
greets him with the scowl he deserves.
The journalist thinks the man is drunk with power like a dictator.^61 He
has just suspended his newspaper indefinitely. Yalman quickly launches
into a defense of his writing.
“I wrote those last three articles to protect our national honor in the
face of world opinion. I was only doing my duty for our great nation.”
The prime minister has a country to run and no time to hear pleading
from people who have no right to criticize his administration.
“The wealth tax was implemented in order to put the minorities in their
place and bring those to justice who, under cover of the war, used their
privileged place in the economy to profit as black marketeers,” he says.
Yalman tries to soften the atmosphere. “It is the right of the
government to prevent black marketeering and to tax profiteering during
war, but a state cannot do so arbitrarily.. .”
The prime minister cuts him off, recognizing a plan that can cut his
enemy to the quick and preclude having to read his naysaying any more.
Pleased with himself, he says, “Write ‘We are a minority newspaper’ and I
will immediately rescind the suspension decision.”^62
The journalist looks at him blankly. The prime minister wants Yalman
to tell the Turkish nation that he does not belong to it, to confirm what is
widely believed, that he is neither a true Muslim nor a true Turk, that he
is in fact a secret Jew. Unable to speak, the normally vociferous journalist
stands up to leave.
The prime minister had earlier declared Christians and Jews, like
parasites, had “grown rich by taking advantage of the hospitality shown
by this country.”^63 This was not too dissimilar from Yalman’s views. He