07.02.2025 19:41
The National Intelligence Academy has republished an Ottoman Turkish publication titled "Protection Against Spies," written in 1928, by transcribing it into Latin script to warn the public about espionage threats. The book includes intriguing sections on tactics for protecting against spies, such as "What Kind of People Are Spies and Their Duties" and "The Service of Gossips to Spies and Their Harm to the Homeland."
The National Intelligence Academy (MİA) republished the Ottoman Turkish publication titled "Protection from Spies," written in 1928, by transcribing it into Latin letters to warn the public against espionage threats.
"IT CONSISTS OF THREE SECTIONS" The booklet titled "Protection from Spies" consists of three sections: "What Kind of People Are Spies and Their Duties," "The Service of Gossipers to Spies and Their Harm to the Nation," and "Dealing with Gossipers and Spies." The digital version of the booklet can be accessed through the social media account of the National Intelligence Academy.
PREPARED TO RAISE AWARENESS AMONG THE PUBLIC The booklet, written in 1928 by Major Sami, an instructor at the War Academy, was revised by Dr. Serhat Aslaner, Coordinator of the MİA Intelligence and Security Research Center. It was noted that the booklet, published during the Early Republican Period, served as a guide to raise public awareness in the context of expanding intelligence activities at that time.
CARRIES THE THREAT PERCEPTIONS OF THE PERIOD TO THE PRESENT The booklet, which was stated to have been written to increase the awareness of the Turkish nation against the overt and covert operations of foreign intelligence services, was expressed to carry the threat perceptions and counterintelligence strategies of that period to the present. It was reported that the booklet, published during a time when intelligence activities were rapidly increasing and external threats were trying to penetrate society through espionage activities, aimed to warn the public and the military against these threats and to create awareness against espionage methods and behaviors.
PROTECTION TACTICS The statement included some striking excerpts from the "Protection from Spies" booklet.
The excerpts included the following statements:
Question: Did you thoroughly understand how spies and gossipers are like in the first and second parts?Answer: Yes, sir, I understood very well.Question: Then what should be done against them?Answer: It is necessary to keep gossipers quiet and disrupt the arrangements that spies will make to gather information.Question: What would you do if one of your friends wanted to gossip like this?Answer: I would warn him several times not to do it, and if he doesn't listen, I would immediately inform the authorities.Question: How should a person keep their mouth shut to avoid gossiping?Answer: They should keep their mouth shut by not saying anything they know or any false information they have heard anywhere.Question: How do you behave towards spies?Answer: Sir, dealing with them is very difficult. As we heard in old stories, there was a seven-headed water buffalo; spies are just like that, if we cut off one head, another one grows in its place. Therefore, we can only confront such people with the organized structure our government has established.Question: Do you have any duties?Answer: Yes, sir. Not only we soldiers but the entire population should deal with spies. Everyone should immediately report anything they hear about the country, whether good or bad, and if someone is suspected of being a spy, they should be captured and handed over to the authorities if they are military personnel, or to the police if they are civilians."WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE ARE SPIES AND THEIR DUTIES" In the "Presentation" section of the booklet, evaluations by Prof. Dr. Talha Köse, President of the National Intelligence Academy, were also included. Köse noted in the presentation that the text titled "Protection from Spies," considering its content and style, aimed to reach as wide an audience as possible. He emphasized that during a time when mass communication tools had not yet become widespread, newspapers, booklets, brochures, and similar publications were the most important tools for the public dissemination and proliferation of information. Köse stated, "In a critical issue like intelligence, 'Protection from Spies,' prepared to warn, inform, and raise awareness among even the most remote populations of the country, has a unique quality in terms of its content and style, suitable for the conditions of the period. Looking back from today, it is also important for understanding the threat perceptions of that period, the state's approach to intelligence and espionage activities, and the methods used by the state to raise awareness among its personnel and the public."