An Ambassador and a Mensch

This book reveals the little known role played by a Turkish diplomat, Behic Erkin, Ambassador to France, who with his staff saved Turkish Jews living in France during World War II.

There is no evidence that anyone ever challenged a direct order given by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey. It is doubtful that many people challenged a direct order from Ismet Inonu, the second President of the Turkish Republic. Not only did Erkin Challenge both men, he challenged Ataturk's order during the course of a war. Once he was assigned a job, no matter how complex the responsibility, Erkin would not allow any meddling, interfering or micromanaging by any of his superiors. In fact when Turkey passed a law making surnames obligatory on February 8th 1935, Ataturk personally assigned the name Erkin to Behic with the annotation `a person of independent mind, who can make his own correct decisions under all conditions.` This character trait became invaluable in the process of saving Jews later in his career.