No. 27
Constantinople, 29 December 1914.
Mr. Foreign Minister,
As an interesting example of the language that is now being used in the daily papers here, I have the honor to send as an enclosement a translation of an editorial that was published a few days ago in "Touran," a paper which is published here [this enclosure is missing].
As ´Touran´ is a new paper which has lately attracted some attention due to its violent language, Mr. Foreign Minister will probably encounter announcements in the international press telegrams that originate from this paper, and I beg to explain its position and significance.
´Touran´ was founded in Salonika in 1909, but it started to be published in Constantinople only a few days after the order had been given for the mobilization of the Turkish army. The editor-in-chief, Nébizadé Ahmed Hansidi, belongs to the nationalist-chauvinist party that emerged after the Balkan War and which has particularly come to the front during the last six months. ´Touran´ [5 illegible words] "The Land of the Turks" in the widest sense including Kurds, Tatars [Azeris/Azerbaijanis], Turkomen, Persians, Afghans, and even Hungarians.
But what makes this paper especially significant at the moment is the fact that the editorials are written in accordance with the expressed wishes of Minister of Interior Talaat Bey by the chief of his private cabinet, Réchid Savfet Bey.
With the highest esteem I remain, Mr. Minister, yours faithfully
C. E. Wandel