[AMERICAN TRAVELS OF FOUNDER OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF ORPHANS] Amerika'da Türkler ve gördüklerim. [i.e. Turks in America and my experiences]

MEHMED FUAD [UMAY], (Turkish doctor), (1885-1963), Vatan Matbaasi, Istanbul, [AH 1341] = 1925.

Original wrappers. No bdg. Wear spine, dispersed pages. An ownership inscription on the imprint page. Overall a good copy. Roy. 8vo. (24 x 17 cm). In Ottoman script (Old Turkish with Arabic letters). 197, 6 p., 5 panoramic folded huge b/w plates (Including the photographic plts.; 1-) Turkish Convention May 13, 1923, Detroit, Mich by Photo Craft Byallen -23x39 cm-; 2-) [Among the Young Turks in Detroit, -23x106 cm-; 3-) In the White House with the President, -23x106 cm-; 4-) Islamic Society in the US, -32x40 cm-; 5-) Among the Young Turkish people in Chicago, -23x26 cm-).

First and only edition of this exceedingly rare travel account of America by Dr. Mehmed Fuad [Umay], (1885-1963), who was a Turkish doctor and the founder of Himâye-i Etfâl [i.e. Society for the Protection of Orphans], a society that was established in 1921 to provide orphanages to children of the deceased soldiers in the Turkish War of Independence; began visiting many of the Turkish colonies in the US, giving lectures and raising a considerable amount of money for the establishment of these orphanages in Turkey.

On 21 March 1923, Fuad Bey was granted permission from the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to go to the US in order to raise funds among the Ottoman immigrants for immediate war relief. Thus, for the first time, humanitarian action became an organized effort by fostering diaspora mobilization. Fuad Bey arrived at Ellis Island on 6 April 1923 on a ship named SS Aquitania and headed to the Ottoman Welfare Association at 35 Rivington Street. In the first meeting held by the Ottoman Welfare Association for the benefit of the Turkish Orphan Society, Fuad Bey notes that a total of USD 17,500 was raised in just six hours. To those who donated over USD 1,000, a personally autographed picture of Mustafa Kemal was given by Fuad Bey. He visited the Turkish colonies in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. He lectured about the Turkish War of Independence (1919-1922) and the success of the struggle, and many Turkish and Kurdish workers residing in these cities donated their life savings to support the construction of orphanages and the reconstruction of the entire country. Fuad's visit to Peabody, Massachusetts aroused exceptional excitement among the Turkish and Kurdish immigrants. It was the first chance for the Muslim Anatolian immigrants to manifest their national pride and attachment to the homeland. At the same time, their socioeconomic achievement was evidenced with the arrival of Fuad Bey in Peabody in an auto decorated with a large American flag and followed by a dozen autos filled with Turks, the machines decorated with American and Turkish flags.". A day before his arrival, the Turks refrained from work and "went around with badges in honor of his coming. Mehmed Fuad noted that there were around 600 Turks when he visited Peabody in 1923. Despite their small number, they had established Kizilay [i.e. Turkish Red Crescent] society. After being shown some of the tanneries in Peabody and Salem, Fuad gave an address to the Turks and Kurds at the Peabody Institute. The scene was described as: "All the Turks in town were present. They made a spectacle of the doctor's visit, many of them taking a day off. They wore badges in his honor and displayed them in front of the Institute of the American and Turkish flags. Great enthusiasm was shown. Baskets of roses were carried down the aisles and the flowers were bought at any price, bunches of money being put in the baskets. It was said that USD 8,000 was raised among the Turks of this city for Dr. Fuad Bey to take back with him.". Fuad Bey visited Peabody for a second time on 14 August 1925, as he came for the National Conference of Social Workers held in Denver, Colorado in June 1925. When he arrived in Massachusetts, he was met by a delegation of Turkish people from [.]". (Source: Ottoman Immigrants and the Formation of Turkish Red Crescent Societies in the United States).

No printed copy in OCLC.; Özege 727.; TBTK 11126.