Mustafa Kemal’s signature...

His business in Istanbul was finished.

Mustafa Kemal Pasha had established the 7th Army Command. They were to depart for Aleppo on August 15. One day prior, Mustafa Kemal Pasha, taking his aides-de-camp Cevat Abbas and Şükrü Tezel with him, went to the Ministry of War's Department of Supplies. They were to take delivery of the funds allocated by the Ministry of War for the Arab tribes and their leaders in Syria. They went and took delivery of the gold and silver coins in sealed chests to be handed over to the Arab tribes.

They brought them to Üsküdar by car ferry, and then to Haydarpaşa Station. And they placed them on the special train that was to go to Aleppo.

The situation was actually dire.

While the Turkish soldier was fighting at the front for mere subsistence, shedding blood, leaving behind his own village, his wife, his family, and his children, the Ottoman State was able to keep these tribes at the front only with piles of money and gold.

In fact, even despite this, they could not fully hold them, and the vast majority were fleeing from the front.

On the other hand, while this gold was being given to the Arab tribes to stand by the Ottomans, these tribes were also pursuing secret alliances with the British.

Mustafa Kemal had finished his business and was to leave Istanbul the next day. That evening, a German officer came to Mustafa Kemal Pasha's house in Akaretler with small chests. The chests were full of gold. The sender was Falkenhayn. Mustafa Kemal Pasha, thinking the gold was sent for the army's needs, asked;

-“What are these?” The German officer replied;

-“You are leaving Istanbul, a certain amount of gold has been sent by Marshal Falkenhayn”, to which Mustafa Kemal Pasha stated that he had not told anyone he was in need. Moreover, this gold was the property of the state and the army. So what did this mean?

He turned to the interpreter and asked again;

-“The chests were brought to me by mistake. They need to be taken to the army's supply department,” he said. The German officer insisted;

-“Sir, that is something else. This gold is not for the army, it is for you,” and when he insisted, Mustafa Kemal Pasha understood the situation. Falkenhayn wanted to buy him to serve German interests. He immediately turned to his aides-de-camp beside him;

-“Count the money well, prepare a receipt stating that it was received in my presence, and bring it to me so I can sign it,” he ordered. The aides prepared the receipt, the Pasha signed it, and handed it to the German officer. However, the German officer did not want to take the receipt. Mustafa Kemal Pasha turned to his aides again;

-“This officer does not know. Let him take the receipt and give it to the Marshal. And you, deliver these chests to the Supply Department,” he ordered. And the aides carried out the order. They took that gold to where the state's gold was kept.

The matter was understood,

The Germans were trying to buy the generals in the Ottoman Army in this way.

After all preparations were completed, they left Istanbul on August 15. They arrived in Aleppo. However, Mustafa Kemal could not get along with the German Marshal Falkenhayn. Because the Germans did not want to save the Syrian front, they wanted to exploit it.

That was the truth of the matter.

That is why Mustafa Kemal Pasha did not stay long. He submitted his resignation and began preparations to go to Istanbul.

On the other hand, the gold sent by Falkenhayn while coming to Aleppo had not been touched at all. It had to be handed over. The gold was counted. It was delivered to Ali Rıza Pasha, who took over the 7th Army Command, in exchange for a receipt. Mustafa Kemal Pasha gave the receipt he received from Ali Rıza Pasha to his aides Cevat Abbas and Salih Bozok and said;

-“Boys, you will go to Falkenhayn, you will see him in person and give him this receipt, and you will take back my receipt that is in his possession,” he said.

The aides did as they were told. But after a while, they returned empty-handed;

-“Marshal Falkenhayn does not remember giving you such money. And he does not remember that your receipt is in his possession. Therefore, he did not accept Ali Rıza Pasha's receipt,” they said, and Mustafa Kemal Pasha, furrowing his brows, gave this order to his aides this time;

-“Now you will immediately go to Falkenhayn's room and say: ‘The gold you gave is still there in its entirety. Claiming that the receipt does not exist does not eliminate the existence of the gold. You may have lost the receipt; in that case, we will return the gold you gave. You will give us a receipt stating that you have received it.

And you will say: ‘You should have learned by now that the General who sent us here is not a man who would sell the country's interests for money. The gold is there, but the Mustafa Kemal signature, which is more valuable than this gold, cannot remain with you.’ And you will not come before me without getting that receipt,” he said.

He was angry.

And the aides went. An hour later, they returned with the receipt signed by Mustafa Kemal. Mustafa Kemal Pasha thought for a moment; it meant that Falkenhayn was buying many Ottoman officers in this way.

But he could not buy Mustafa Kemal.

Mustafa Kemal’s greatness could not be contained by worlds.