Important documents regarding the activities of US missionaries in Istanbul, which was crushed under enemy boots, have come to light. Archive documents show that the US Cultural Presence in Istanbul began with commercial relations at the end of the 18th century, that the American missionaries named Pliny Fisk and Levi Parsons, who arrived in January 1820, increased their presence in the Ottoman Empire day by day, and that on March 2, 1831, the US It is reported that missionary activities accelerated with the opening of the first diplomatic representation of the Ottoman Empire in the Ottoman Empire.
ROBERT COLLEGE
In addition to the US State Department Archives, US Naval History and Heritage Command Archives, US Congressional Archives; According to the documents extracted from the Presidency State Archives Directorate and the Ottoman Archives, in the first years of the 20th century in the Ottoman lands, there were 16 stations, 247 end stations, 97 female auxiliaries, 12 thousand 109 church members and 44 thousand 959 registered Protestants, and that the United States under the leadership of the missionary named Cyrus Hamlin While it was stated that Robert College, the first educational institution outside its borders, was established, “Even after the severance of diplomatic relations between the Ottoman Empire and the USA, Robert College continued its activities and even preserved its privileges. As can be understood from the Ottoman State archive records of these years, the teachers and students of the college were allowed to travel.” , Although the teachers were dismissed due to the lost lands, Robert College teachers were exempt from this and customs duty was not collected on college materials.” it is said.
NEAR EAST RELIEF COMMITTEE
In the documents unearthed by Lecturer-Researcher-Author Sinan Kıyanç, which states that Halide Edib Adıvar had a great influence on the American structure, it is stated that the USA started to provide college and health education during the occupation years of Istanbul. gtoWhile the necessary arrangements and expenses were provided by the American Near East Relief Committee (The Near East Relief) and the American Red Cross. “1920 In the fall, a hospital was established for American citizens and American soldiers in Istanbul. Thus, the college continued as the American Hospital and Health School and the Nursing School.” It is emphasized in the archive documents that the members of the American Near East Relief Committee published magazines called Near East Relief and The Acorne, which included their activities in the country and developments about the committee, and that the center of the magazines was “25 . It is stated that “Street, Taksim, Pera, Istanbul”.
THEY TOOK IT TO GREECE
The findings of Kıyanç, who brought the documents to light, are as follows: “During the occupation years of Istanbul, American aid organizations such as the Christian Youth Organization, the Christian Youth Organization, the American Near East Relief Committee, and the American Red Cross were active. The most notable and effective of these organizations was the American Song Society.” It was the American Near East Relief Committee, known as the Karib Relief Committee, or Near East Relief in English.
THEY FORCED KEPT IN THE CHURCH
“One of the biggest problems in occupied Istanbul was the orphaned children. The biggest problem in this process was which community the children belonged to. Some children applied to the Police Stations and stated that they were forcibly kept in churches even though they were Muslims. They determined which religion the children belonged to and that they were placed in darüleytams accordingly. A commission consisting of American, Armenian and Turkish members was established on this issue. American aid organizations, which gave great support to Armenian darüleytams, kept their distance from Turkish darüleytams. “The Greek and Armenian children in the darüleytams in Anatolia were moved to Istanbul by the American Near East Relief Committee, and the children who stayed here for a while were later taken to Greece.”
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