An Explanation About the Group Photo Showing Mustafa Kemal with His Aides:

This photograph was taken in Aleppo, before Mustafa Kemal resigned from the command of the 7th Lightning Army.

One of these four group photographs was left to Mustafa Kemal, and they gave one of the other three to us separately in their own handwriting, by writing our names as "my assistant" (Salih, Cevat, Şükrü) and signing all three of them.

This photograph was published for the first time in a large-scale album, which was published under the name "Atatürk in Photograph", by the esteemed Cumhuriyet newspaper, after our dear Ata's death forever and sadly. I strongly anticipate that the photograph would have been given to the aforementioned establishment by either Salih Bozok or Cevat Abbas Gürer, who were alive at the time. However, there is no explanation other than the inscription "1917: Commander of the Lightning Armies in Aleppo Mirliva Mustafa Kemal Pasha" under the photograph in the said album .

Şükrü Tezer

Source: Atatürk'ün Hatıra Defteri, Şükrü Tezer, Türk Tarih Kurumu, 5. Baskı Ankara 2008. ISBN: 978-975-16-0214-5. Sayfa: 185