1938 november 11 a

ATATURK DIES AT 58, TURKS WILL ELECT A SUCCESSOR
TODAY
Source:The New York Times

Date:Nov. 11, 1938

ISTANBUL, Turkey, Nov. 10- Kemal Ataturk, President and creator of modern Turkey, died today at Dolma Baghche Palace at the age of 58. He had survived thirteen wounds received in battle and a number of assassination attempts, but succumbed to cirrhosis of the liver.

It is expected that General Ismet Inounu, former Premier and President Ataturk's comrade-in-arms, will be chosen tomorrow morning by the Republican People's party to succeed the
dictator-soldier, here of the reborn nation.

The bulletin announcing the death of Ataturk and signed by eight doctors read:

"The President's general condition. the gravity of which ws announced in a bulletin published last night, grew steadily worse. On Nov. 10, 1938, at 9:05 A. M., our great chief, in a deep coma, breathed his last."

Three minutes after his death Salih Bozuk, former aide and one of the President's closest friends, unsuccessfully attempted suicide by shooting. He was seriously wounded.

Premier Stays at Bedside

Throughout the night Ali Fethi Okyar; Ambassador to London; Ataturk's sister and his adopted daughter Sabihi Gueukschehn Honoum, the latter a famous airwoman, remained near the bedside. The first indication of the President's death came at 11:30 A. M., when it was noticed that flags on government buildings were at half-staff. Soon the flags of ships in tha harbor were at half-mast, and gradually all shops and houses exhibited similar signs of mourning.

Ataturk, a Military Hero, Formed Surging Nation

He was called simply Mustafa when he was born in Salonika in 1880, the son of a Turkish customs officer. His mathematics teacher at military preparatory school added Kemal, meaning "rightness" to his name.

When he fought his way to leadership of the Turks, the title of Pasha was added. Most of his historic record was made as Mustafa Kemal Pasha.

In 1934, where he had so modernized Turkey that titles were abolished and he was able to decree that all Turks must thereafter have family names, he chose for himself the familiy name of Ataturk, which is translated as "Chief Turk" or "Father of All Turks." Thenceforth he was known as Kemal Ataturk.

His death comes as a blow to a nation of 14,000,000 people, although he reformed their social customs, their religion, and their economics with dictatorial zeal and speed.

Out of the remains of the defeated and dismembered Ottoman Empire, he formed in 1923 a republic, which he armed and industralized and into a powerful nation. He repossessed the Dardenelles. In 1936, conciliated the Greeks and steered a course between East and West in a manner that made Soviet Russia, Britain and Germany in turn glad to cultivate Turkey's friendship and lend millions for further development.