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In a public release, Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has made available another cache of old documents.
Among these, an intelligence report from 1935 has gained significant attention in Türkiye, as it unveils the first-ever mention of the "code name" given to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder and first president of Türkiye, by a British intelligence operative.
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The document, published by MIT, provides insight into surveillance activities conducted on a Times reporter, Walter Collins, who was under scrutiny during the 1930s.
The intelligence report, dated Feb. 2, 1935, contains references to Ataturk, Ismet Inonu, and marshal Fevzi Cakmak, alongside the covert use of code names for these prominent Turkish figures.
The 1935 report highlights how the individuals in question were referred to by aliases in the intelligence documents:
This revelation provides a fascinating glimpse into the covert nature of intelligence work during the time and the lengths to which foreign intelligence services went to protect their operations.
The intelligence report, published on MIT’s official website, reveals the following key points:
The revelation of Ataturk's code name, Robertson, is a significant moment in Türkiye's history, as it underscores the global attention directed toward the nation’s leadership and the delicate political landscape during the 1930s. It also highlights the complex relationship between foreign media and intelligence agencies at the time.
With the ongoing release of dated intelligence reports, the MIT offers historians, researchers and the general public a rare glimpse into Türkiye's intelligence history during the early decades of the republic.
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