The Report of Rumeli Advisory Committee and Answer of Edirne Governor Salim Pasha
Burçin IşımAfter the Armistice of Mudros, the Government of Istanbul decided to send boards called “Advisory Committees” to both Anatolia and Thrace in order to prevent public order crimes, establish love and friendship among the communities within the country. The delegation going to Thrace left İstanbul on April 28, 1919. Fevzi and Cevad Pashas, members of the delegation, reported what they saw during this trip. The report covered basic topics such as education, health, justice, agriculture and consisted of twelve articles. During this trip, Salim Pasha, the Governor of Edirne, was called to the Ministry of Internal Affairs on July 25 1919 and he presented his response letter to the ministry for defense against this report. The purpose of our research is to compare both reports. The report of the advisory committee contains striking statements about the general condition of Thrace after the Armistice of Mudros. It is extremely important that this report was prepared by Fevzi Çakmak and Cevad Çobanlı Pashas.
Rumeli Heyet-i Nasihası’nın Raporu ve Edirne Valisi Salim Paşa’nın Cevabı
Burçin Işımİstanbul Hükûmeti Mondros Mütarekesi’nden sonra asayiş olaylarının önüne geçebilmek, ülke içindeki topluluklar arasında sevgi ve dostluğu tesis edebilmek maksadıyla hem Anadolu’ya hem Trakya’ya Nasihat Heyetleri adı verilen kurullar gönderilmesine karar vermişti. Trakya’ya gidecek heyet, 28 Nisan 1919’da İstanbul’dan hareket etmişti. Heyet üyelerinden Fevzi Paşa ile Cevad Paşa bu seyahat sırasında gördüklerini rapor haline getirmişti. Rapor, eğitim, sağlık, adalet, ziraat gibi temel konuları kapsamakta ve on iki maddeden oluşmaktaydı. Nasihat Heyeti’nin seyahatleri esnasında Edirne Valisi olan Salim Paşa, 25 Temmuz 1919’da Dahiliye Nezareti’ne çağrılmış ve bu rapora karşı savunma mahiyetinde olan cevabi yazısını nezarete takdim etmişti. Araştırmamızın amacı, her iki raporu karşılaştırmaktır. Rapor, Mondros Mütarekesi sonrası Trakya’nın genel durumu ile ilgili çarpıcı ifadeler içermektedir. Bu raporun Fevzi Çakmak ve Cevad Çobanlı Paşalar tarafından hazırlanması son derece önemlidir.
The Ottoman Empire was defeated in the First World War lasting between 1914 and 1918. Having defeated from the First World War, The Armistice of Mudros was signed on October 30, 1918. The signing meant that the Ottoman Empire left the war with defeat. Especially the 7th article of the armistice prepared a legal basis for the the Allied occupations. According to this article, the Entente States could occupy any strategic point in a situation that would threaten their own security. In another article says that control of railways would be given to the Entente States. Eventually, after the armistice the Entente States started to occupy various parts of the Ottoman Empire. One of those parts was Eastern Thrace railways. At first Eastern Thrace Railway was managed by the French forces. After a while the Greeks took the Eastern Thrace Railway under their own control.
The rapid spread of the occupations by the Entente States within the borders of the Ottoman Empire caused the minorities in the country to increase their separatist activities. Minorities took advantage of this environment and established gangs in some regions and the public order in the country gradually deteriorated. Whereas Armenians were active in Eastern Anatolia, Greeks wanted İzmir and Eastern Thrace. On the other hand, the government followed a quite moderate policy to prevent occupations and ensure public order. In order to calm the events that took place in various regions, it decided to send advisory committees. The first delegation created for this purpose was sent to Anatolia and the second one to Thrace. Şehzade (Prince) Cemaleddin Efendi, the religious leader Ziyaeddin Efendi together with Fevzi and Cevad Pashas took part in this second delegation. The trip to Thrace started on April 28, 1919 and lasted about 12 days. The first visit was to Edirne and then the second one was to Kırklareli and Tekirdağ respectively. The final stop for the trip was in Çorlu. After that they returned to Istanbul on May 10, 1919. The delegation first appeared before Damad Ferit Pasha, the Grand Vizier in Istanbul. Then they also made a presentation to the ministerial council with a -four page report- on the region. The report was prepared by Fevzi and Cevat Pashas.
The report was prepared in twelve articles. In the report, after the Armistice of Mudros, the basic issues of Thrace such as education, justice, health, agriculture and public order were explained and solutions about problems were offered. After the appearance of the report, Edirne Governor Salim Pasha was invited to Istanbul and obliged to defend against the allegations in the report. The Governor Salim Pasha accepted some problems and refused the others.
The committe’s report is an assessment of another eye that observed the problems within the province. In this respect, it is more objective. The report not only identifies problems in the province by the experienced statesmen, but also includes solutions to them. In addition, it is seen that positive situations are appreciated. Meanwhile, the governor’s answer is more of his own personal assessment because of its defensive nature. In this respect it is more subjective.
It is seen that the delegation and the governor have different opinions about Thrace Pashaeli Society. As it is known, Thrace Pashaeli Society is an organization that aimed to preserve the integrity of Thrace within the Ottoman Empire at all costs. Even though it is possible that the Society did not fully want to disclose its aims to the chief of defense, Fevzi Pasha and the former Minister of War, Cevad Pasha during the visit, the members of the delegation fulfilled their national and historical duties in the report with their positive thoughts regarding the Thrace Pashaeli Society. Nevertheless, the governor’s negative opinions about this society show us how serious the situation was for those seeking a way of emancipation out of the existing regional or national predicament. It is understood that Governor Salim Pasha had similar political views with the Government of Damat Ferit Pasha. Therefore he stood against the Thrace Pashaeli Society. The Governor, like Damat Ferit Pasha Government, seems to have been far from comprehending the seriousness of the situation in general.
