Face to face with the System
Sir: Mr Llewellyn Smith's account (28 March) of his experiences in sending two trunks from Athens to London reminds me of my own ex- periences of the Turkish bureaucracy last sum- mer.
In June 1968 my wife and I were appointed to the teaching staff of Zonguldak College and between then and September acquired the vari- ous documents necessary for our residence, em- ployment, and import of our car and personal belongings. Before leaving London we checked at the Turkish Consulate and were assured that we had everything necessary.
The Bulgarian frontier official assured us that the Turks would take the car to pieces, and we felt relieved when the Customs formalities were concluded in one hour. Before leaving we were told to report to the Directorate of Customs at Istanbul—`a mere formality—they write the number in a book.'
At Istanbul, my wife stayed with the car while I sought and eventually found the Direc- torate. A kindly, apologetic guide conducted me from department to department before he found an official willing to deal with me.
The car would be impounded in Istanbul, I was told. Were my documents not in order? Yes, but that was the rule. Why? Formalities. Could not these formalities be completed at Zonguldak? No, I must leave the car in Istan- bul and proceed to Zonguldak by some other means. Could I not remain in Istanbul and await clearance of my car? No, my car could not be released until I was resident in Zonguldak. Would the official telephone the college or the British Consul for advice? No, this was quite impossible. The official remarked that it was now 4.40 p.m., that the Directorate closed at 5 p.m. and that twenty minutes remained for me to surrender the car; unless I did so, I would have to be out of the country within twenty- four hours of arrival or I would be subject to a fine for each day I remained on Turkish soil.
My efforts to contact my employers and the Consul proved abortive and we left Turkey the same evening. On returning to this country, I contacted the Turkish Consul-General-an Lon- don, who expressed his surprise at What% had happened and asked me to send him a full re- port. This report was sent six monilas ago. I have received no answers to my letters to the Consul but telephone inquiries bring the assur- ance that an investigation is proceeding.
How much better for us it would !nivel:teen if, instead of finding appointments in Turkey, selling our home and resigning our posts, we had stayed at home and re-read a Kafka novel. Colin Quayle 102 Lozells Road, Birmingham 19
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