Today in History – 12 November

The İnönü era through the eyes of foreigners

After Atatürk’s passing, foreign countries were also wondering about the kind of future that awaited Turkey and thus were closely following the developments. Meeting with newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs Şükrü Saracoğlu on November 12, 1938, British Ambassador Sir Percy Loraine evaluated the transition into the İnönü era as follows:

After Atatürk’s illness was diagnosed, I had tried to inform the government about developments in that respect. It appears now that Atatürk was suffering from a fatal disease as of the second half of August 1938. The next three months were rather painful for Atatürk and were spent as a period of preparation of his administration to uphold the regime after his passing.

During this period, the leading figures in the administration were tight-knitted with a sense of utmost responsibility. Atatürk died on November 10th and the next day at noon, İnönü was unanimously elected president. The same day, the Second Bayar Government was at work. In other words, the mission was completed rapidly, without any hesitation.

In his report, Ambassador Loraine noted that İnönü was the most suitable candidate for presidency during this new era:

İnönü is the correct choice. I had foreseen that a year ago and reported it to the Ministry. İnönü is good, but Atatürk’s absence will be felt. The mourning of the nation is real and sincere. The upcoming years will test the loyalty to Atatürk’s memory and I hope that his work will successfully stand this test of time as well.