Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Midnight in Istanbul

1943 WWII is spreading. Turkey is neutral, yet both the Germans and the British with the Allies want to persuade Turkey to join the war. İnönü persists. Turkey cannot afford to fight in another war after WWI and the War of Independence. While diplomats on both sides try to change the circumstances, Istanbul is full of spies, lurking in dark corners.

Noone is as it seems. A journalist or a spy working for the OSS, an independent organisation building ties and assets for the European Resistance. Eliott Caldwell, is that his real name, in love with a Hungarian singer Ilona, a heart-throb, who also works for the same cause.

Night Clubs of glamour, pretty girls, music, Russian landlords who receive guests from all sides with the same courtesy and lavish condiments.

It’s winter in Istanbul, cold, dark, and grey, and secret alleys of the Grand Bazaar and Fener are full of hazards. Murders. Letters of warning written in invisible ink. Carpet stores that are turned into meeting spots…

The Austrian Resistance, the Greek Resistance, smuggling arms, giving shelter to refugees, and much more.

Daylight doesn’t seem to shine over the Bosphorus. It’s noir, even drinks of warm Salep and Boza don’t seem to warm the heart.

There is love, yet there is little promise. Elliot Caldwell reflects on this adventure at the end. He learns a lesson.