The images recorded at Gazi Orman Çiftliği in Ankara on November 11, 1930, 8 years before the death of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, were presented to the audience on the YouTube channel "Kronik Document" with the work of historical researcher Ali Taner Tümer.
Different parts of the historical records in which Ataturk met with the US Ambassador to Turkey Joseph Grew at the farm and addressed the American people were previously published in various archives. In the new study, an integrated version was prepared by bringing together film footage, newspapers of the period and available photographs.
The meeting, held on the 7th anniversary of the founding of the Republic, is also of historical importance in terms of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and the USA.
The images that came to the fore again before the 88th anniversary of Atatürk's death include his meeting with Ambassador Grew at the farm and the moments when he addressed the American people.
One of the most striking parts of the footage was the short dialogue just before Ataturk's address to the American people.
After US Ambassador Joseph Grew completed his speech, Atatürk said in French, 'Can I say a few words with your permission?' He asked for a word with an expression meaning:
Grew replied, "Please, your excellency," again in French.
After this short dialogue, Atatürk started his speech to the American people in Turkish.
Ali Taner Tümer stated that other images of Atatürk speaking French with Ambassador Grew while visiting Gazi Orman Çiftliği had previously been published in various archives, and that the dialogue just before the address was shared for the first time.
Tümer said, "We have captured this rare moment when Atatürk spoke French, albeit very briefly. In the previously released footage, there were sections where he spoke French while touring the farm with the Ambassador. However, this French section before his address to the American people was published for the first time. It is a very important and valuable filmed recording that shows Atatürk's command of French."
In his speech to the American people, Ataturk emphasized the democratic character of the Turkish nation.
Drawing attention to the Turkish society's understanding of democracy with the words "Turkish nation is naturally democratic", Atatürk also touched upon the role of American democracy in establishing national unity.
He revealed that despite the different historical backgrounds of the two countries, they share common values based on democracy and national sovereignty.
In his speech, Atatürk also emphasized the importance of mutual love and friendship between the Turkish and American people.
Stating that the closeness between the two nations can eliminate the wrong thoughts and prejudices from the past, Atatürk pointed out that humanity should move forward by erasing the superstitions of the past.
Ataturk evaluated the Turkish-American friendship not only in terms of relations between the two countries, but also in terms of improving mutual understanding between nations.
Another issue that came to the fore in Atatürk's address 96 years ago was world peace.
Stating that humanity should reach the realm of peace and tranquility, Atatürk explained that Türkiye's goals are linked to the ideals of civilization, humanity and peace.
In his speech, he gave the message of leaving the negativities of the past behind, strengthening friendship between nations and meeting humanity around a common understanding of peace.
Stating that they used different archives to bring together historical images, Ali Taner Tümer said that there are different parts of the records in various sources, especially the Film Heritage archive of the General Directorate of Cinema.
Stating that images were also obtained from the archives of the University of South Carolina, Tümer said, "These images were actually published in various archives. However, in this version, it was not published in its full form by combining the available photographs. We prepared an integrated video by bringing together these recordings and photographs."
Tümer stated that they also examined the newspapers of the period and the surviving photographs during the research and said that they had access to 6-7 photographs of Atatürk's meeting with Ambassador Grew.
Tümer stated that he could not find a photograph of the moment when the speech was made, and added that he thought other photographs might have been taken at that time.
Tümer pointed out the importance of researching historical documents, stating that these photographs may not have been discovered yet or may be found in different archives.
Tümer emphasized that the process of accessing and colorizing the images was not his sole work, and explained that the records were brought together with the contributions of archival sources and relevant institutions.
Stating that there was a joint effort in the process of obtaining, examining, arranging and coloring the images in the study, Ali Taner Tümer said, "We reached these images, brought them together and colored them. This entire work is not my work. We integrated this historical record by making use of different sources and archives."
Providing information about the processes applied to historical images, Ali Taner Tümer emphasized that no artificial intelligence animation or image sharpening was done on the recordings.
Stating that they paid attention to preserving the texture of the original images, Tümer said, "No sharpening, zooming or restoration was applied to the images. The images we received were only colored. A new image was not created with artificial intelligence, and the texture of the images was not interfered with. It is very important for us to preserve the originality of Atatürk's real images."
