In the aftermath of World War I, British officials had difficulties in understanding the elusive forces behind the Anatolian resistance movement. They anxiously assumed that Kemalists were being... Show moreIn the aftermath of World War I, British officials had difficulties in understanding the elusive forces behind the Anatolian resistance movement. They anxiously assumed that Kemalists were being controlled by the Unionist leaders in exile and that they were part of an international conspiracy. In this confusion, the fugitive Unionist leaders received disproportionate attention and credit in British intelligence reports with critical consequences for political sense-making and decision-making. I argue that preconceptions about ‘Young Turks’ in general as well as perceptions of the Unionist leaders’ alleged and actual activities after 1918 were crucial for the British officialdom’s policies towards the Anatolian resistance movement. Show less
