Nazi Leaks and Intrigues in Second World War Ankara: The Plot to Send Herbert Melzig to a Concentration Camp

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

This article excavates one of the stranger episodes that took place in the transnational microcosm of the German expatriate world in Ankara and Istanbul during the Second World War. Professor Herbert Melzig's story, the 'Melzig affair', illustrates how this microcosm, with its very different constituent members - Jewish and non-Jewish refugees from Nazism, German pro-Nazi expatriates, and an extensive embassy and Nazi Party network - acted as a conduit in German-Turkish relations, albeit one that produced unexpected results. This 'Melzig affair' sheds new light on the German presence in Second World War Turkey as well as the so-called German 'exile on the Bosporus' as it has been (re-)constructed and used in recent years; it also contributes to our understanding of Turkish foreign policy during the Second World War, especially regarding Turkey's reluctance to join the war on Hitler's side. At the end of the Melzig affair stood the 'leaking' of an internal Ministry of Propaganda memorandum. It prepared the ground for further leaks of this nature and was one of the turning points of public opinion in Turkey against the Third Reich.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)109-125
Number of pages17
JournalInternational History Review
Volume38
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2016
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Taylor & Francis.

Keywords

  • Franz von Papen
  • German refugees in Turkey
  • Second World War
  • Third Reich

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cultural Studies
  • History
  • Sociology and Political Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Nazi Leaks and Intrigues in Second World War Ankara: The Plot to Send Herbert Melzig to a Concentration Camp'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this