Following is the text of a memorandum, signed by General Memduh Tagmac, chief
of the General Staff and the commanders of the Turkish air, naval, and ground forces,
delivered on March 12, 1971, to President Cevdet Sunay and the presidents of the
National Assembly and Senate; excerpts from a press release on the military takeover
in Turkey issued September 12, 1980, by the Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C.;
and the text of a statement by the General Staff posted on the military’s Web site on
April 27, 2007, warning against a plan by the ruling Justice and Development Party
to nominate Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as the next president.DOCUMENT
Coup Memorandum by the
General Staff (1971)
MARCH12, 1971- Parliament and the government, through their sustained policies, views, and actions,
have driven our country into anarchy, fratricidal strife, and social and economic unrest.
They have caused the public to lose all hope of rising to the level of contemporary
civilization, which Ataturk established as our goal. They have failed to realize the
reforms stipulated by the constitution. Thus, the future of the Turkish Republic is
seriously threatened.
2. Parliament’s assessment, in a spirit above partisan considerations, of the solu-
tions needed to eliminate the concern and disillusionment of the Turkish armed forces,
which have emerged from the bosom of the Turkish nation, over this grave situation,
and the formation, within the framework of democratic principles, of a strong and
credible government that will neutralize the current anarchistic situation and, inspired
by Ataturk’s views, will implement the reformist laws envisioned by the constitution
are considered essential.
3. Unless this is done quickly, the Turkish armed forces are determined to take
over the administration of the state in accordance with the powers invested in them
by the laws to protect and preserve the Turkish Republic.
Please be informed.
Signed: Gen Memduh Tagmac, chief of the General Staff and member of the
National Security Council; Gen Faruk Gurler, commander of the Ground Forces and
member of the National Security Council; Adm Celal Eyicioglu, commander of the
Naval Forces and member of the National Security Council; Gen Muhsin Batur, com-
mander of the Air Force and member of the National Security Council.
SOURCE: Library of Congress, Foreign Affairs Division, A Select Chronology and Background Documents
Relating to the Middle East (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1975), 275. Prepared for the Sen-
ate Committee on Foreign Relations. This document originally appeared in Foreign Broadcast Information Ser-
vice, Daily Report, March 12, 1971, p. L12.TURKEY 643