Abstract:

Ankara Delegation headed by Foreign Minister Bekir Sami Bey (Kunduh) attended the London Conference held at the Saint James Palace between February 21 and March 12, 1921. After the Grand Vizier Tevfik Pasha, the Head of the Istanbul Delegation, gave the floor to the Ankara Delegation, all the speeches on behalf of the Turks were made by Bekir Sami Bey and Dr. Nihat Reşat Bey (Belger). No definite conclusion could be obtained from the London Conference. Bekir Sami Bey signed bilateral agreements with France, Italy and England on 11 and 12 March 1921. As a result, the Ankara Delegation returned to Ankara on April 25, 1921 via Paris, Rome, Brindisi, Istanbul, İnebolu and Samsun. The bilateral agreements signed by Bekir Sami Bey were not accepted by the Ankara Government, which resulted in his resignation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In this study, especially the copies of Anadolu’da Antalya newspaper, the notes of Ruşen Eşref Bey (Ünaydın), who attended the conference as a journalist, news from other newspapers, memories and research works are used as sources. It is aimed here to write in detail what happened during the London Conference and the topics discussed, based on firsthand sources.