MIT Publishes 86-Year-Old Intelligence Document from Ankara
Ankara, April 9 – The Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has published an 86-year-old intelligence document, an urgent directive dated August 16, 1940, concerning the activities of a suspected foreign intelligence operative in Ankara. This historical document was made public on MIT’s official website under the “Special Collection” section, within the “Documents” category.
Details of the 1940 Surveillance Operation
The newly released document is an intelligence report, marked “urgent,” sent to the Ankara B Directorate, which was responsible for counter-intelligence activities of the National Security Service Presidency (MAH). The report details the surveillance of an unidentified individual in Ankara’s Ulus district.
According to the document, the suspect had purchased a Leica camera and 35 rolls of film from the Tan stationery store in Ulus. The store owners believed the man to be Russian, with another suggesting he might be Bulgarian. The report notes that the individual, identified as either Russian or Bulgarian, had been inquiring about copying documents with the camera and how to enlarge them. He was also seeking to purchase an enlarger device.
The Tan store did not have the specific enlarger the man was looking for, but the owners promised to acquire a condenser from ABDÜLBAKİ’s Shell petrol depot and adapt it with a lens and stand. The suspect was expected to return to the Tan store on August 17, 1940, either before or after noon, to inspect the condenser.
Instructions for Surveillance and Identification
The intelligence directive provided detailed instructions for identifying and monitoring the suspect, described as short and fair-haired. The report emphasized the importance of determining what the man intended to do with the Leica camera and the enlarger. However, it cautioned against using the store owners for identification, as this could alert the suspect to the surveillance.
Instead, the directive instructed agents to stake out the store. They were to observe one of the store employees going to ABDÜLBAKİ’s Shell store and returning with the enlarger condenser. At that time, the short, fair-haired man, who would be examining the device and receiving explanations from the shopkeepers at the Tan store, was to be followed to ascertain his identity and activities.
The document concluded with a statement highlighting the characteristic work of a secret intelligence service and the expectation that the vigilant and diligent officers of the Ankara center would clarify the matter by obtaining a clue from these signs. It also stated that even definitively determining that such a suspicion was unfounded and that the purchase was not made for a secret and malicious purpose would be a success. The report ended with a request for immediate action.
The document bears the signature of the Deputy President of the National Security Service Presidency.
