On Vartan İhmalyan’s political autobiography, Bir Yaşam Öyküsü (A Life Story) (10)

From Vartan İhmalyan’s pen: İsmail Bilen (4)

In his political autobiography Bir Yaşam Öyküsü (A Life Story), Vartan İhmalyan recounts that the triumvirate controlling the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) -Zeki Baştımar, İsmail Bilen, and Aram Pehlivanyan- committed injustices and acts of intimidation against many TKP members, in addition to Salih Hacıoğlu, Süleyman Nuri, and Ali Sait, whom we mentioned in our previous article.

Yıldız, Zekeriya and Sabiha Sertel (1956)

For instance, Aram Pehlivanyan, who had previously blocked İhmalyan’s appointment to Bizim Radyo (Our Radio) in Leipzig by declaring, “Either him or me,” also played a part in 1964 -naturally with İsmail Bilen’s consent- in the expulsion of the Sertels from Bizim Radyo:

Aram spared no words against the Sertels either; he had them transferred from Leipzig to the Soviet Union, thus depriving “Our Radio” of a valuable contributor such as Sabiha Sertel. İ. Bilen turned a blind eye to this as well, since he too was displeased with the Sertels’ accurate and justified criticisms of both himself and A. Saydan. (p. 207)

The Purges: Sabiha Sertel and Bilal Şen

İhmalyan summarises the expulsion from the party of TKP Central Committee member Bilal Şen in 1965 -and subsequently of several comrades close to him- as follows:

Because Aram regarded Bilal Şen as a rival, he alerted İ. Bilen and Zeki Baştımar, and had Bilal expelled from the party. He also ensured that those who supported Bilal were thrown out. Thus, the tyrannical triad of İ. Bilen, Demir, and Aram managed to secure its dictatorship, albeit only for a temporary period. (pp. 234–235)

Bilal Şen

Following Sabiha Sertel’s removal from her post as editor-in-chief of Bizim Radyo in the first half of 1964, the Sertel family’s departure from Leipzig, and the subsequent expulsion of Bilal Şen, an opposition movement began to take shape among the TKP’s cadres abroad. The TKP Moscow Group, for which Vartan İhmalyan served as secretary, also began to openly oppose the triumvirate.

İhmalyan devotes considerable space in his book to this struggle, reproducing numerous interesting reports and correspondences. In the end, the Central Committee -that is, in effect, the triumvirate forming the core of the External Bureau- issued a verbal order for the Moscow Group to disband. The TKP Moscow Group, however, “did not consider itself dissolved without a written statement and, after a long wait, convened on 4 December 1965.” A follow-up meeting was held a week later, on 11 December. In İhmalyan’s words:

After all the letters and materials had been read, comrades Mehmet Remzi and Süleyman Nuri condemned the landlords (ağas in Turkish) [*] in Leipzig and affirmed that we were right and that our actions had been justified. And that was our final meeting, for the tyrannical triad in Leipzig arbitrarily cut off all contact with us. (p. 254)

This rupture and de facto wholesale purge was not, although Vartan İhmalyan may not have been aware of it, the result of a split arising primarily from ideological, organisational, or personal differences. Rather, it was an expression of the bureaucratic manoeuvring of a triumvirate intent on safeguarding their material interests. These three Stalinist bureaucrats, who enjoyed considerable material privileges by virtue of their control over the party leadership, regarded the opposition’s criticism and demands as a threat to their positions. Consequently, instead of confronting these criticisms, they chose to brand the opposition as “undisciplined” and sever all ties.

Bilen and Baştımar at the 22nd Congress of the CPSU

Physical violence and threats

A Life Story also contains passages showing that the problem went beyond the triumvirate’s resort to every kind of cynical bureaucratic manoeuvre in defence of their material privileges. This is evident in a letter from the TKP Moscow Group to the TKP External Bureau, dated 12 June 1965, which includes the following statement:

That a leading comrade should resort to dictatorial and terroristic measures -such as pulling a knife on someone in order to impose his own ideas and enforce discipline- can in no way be justified. (p. 245)

The “leading comrade” referred to in the letter is İsmail Bilen, and the person he pulled a knife on was the TKP member Veli Gündüz.

The same letter also emphasises that the language used by the party leadership towards its members was unacceptable:

We find it unworthy of party leaders, and contrary to communist morality, that comrades Aram and Marat in particular should use such harsh words and insults as factionalism, cliquism, forgery, fraud, bird-brainedness, opportunism, nationalism, adopting bourgeois views, and anti-Soviet sentiment when accusing other comrades. (p. 246)

From the speech delivered by Salih Hacıoğlu’s second wife, Sabiha Sümbül, at the TKP Moscow Group on 31 May 1965 -which we have previously referenced in this series- it appears that İsmail Bilen (Sümbül refers to him by his party name, Marat) suffered from anger issues bordering on psychopathy:

We regarded Comrade Marat’s pulling a knife on Comrade Veli as utterly disgraceful. This is an old habit of Marat’s. In 1958, Comrade Nihat (Electrician Nuri) came from Leningrad to stay with Marat. I was also living in Marat’s house at the time. The four of us -Ali Sait, myself, Nihat, and Marat- were sitting together playing cards. Suddenly, Marat clenched his fists and rushed at Nihat. Luckily, Ali grabbed Marat’s arms and prevented him from striking. If a communist comrade criticises Marat, he may pull a knife or throw a punch. That, it seems, is the extent of Marat’s communism. Marat can also unjustly accuse party members. Apparently, because Marat is a leader, he cannot be punished. (p. 268)

[*] In Turkish political and social discourse, the word ağa denotes a semi-feudal, widely despised figure exercising exploitative control over peasants.

To be continued

Also see:

Who was Vartan İhmalyan?

The period in which İhmalyan wrote his political autobiography

Vartan İhmalyan’s superficial impressionism

From Vartan İhmalyan’s pen: Aram Pehlivanyan (1)

From Vartan İhmalyan’s pen: Aram Pehlivanyan (2)

From Vartan İhmalyan’s pen: Aram Pehlivanyan (3)

From Vartan İhmalyan’s pen: İsmail Bilen (1)