Spies Across the Ottoman Territory Report to the Istanbul Government

The spies that were all over the Ottoman territory played a significant role in the implementation of the plan for the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. Spies founded states, divided countries, appointed kings and drew up borders. This wide network of spies was managed by the British, through the operation center in Istanbul that reported to the military intelligence. The occupation of Istanbul therefore offered much-needed logistics to this spying network. Scores of spies were dispatched to Anatolia, disguised as 'occupation officers'.

As the national movement of independence gained momentum, this spying network shifted its focus to Turkish military plans. In 1921, Sir James Marshall-Cornwall was appointed as the special intelligence officer reporting to Sir Charles Harington Harington, the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied occupation army based in Istanbul. Marshall-Cornwall built a small but operational team to keep tabs on Mustafa Kemal Pasha and the nationalist movement. Speaking fluent Turkish, he was sent to Istanbul once again in 1941 to convince Ismet Inonu to join WWII as a British ally, but returned empty-handed.