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dary scenes at the Hellespont and on the high Anatolian plateau, in battleswhich remain as lessons in the military art, and in amazing stength ofwill. Again Kemal the statesman succeeds the general, and in a matter ofa few years causes his people to advance centuries along the road toprogress, through a revolution both in law, social affairs, politics and economics;along the true road to spiritual and material progress".In his Prologue to the fırst English edition of "Atatürk", Blanco Villaltaalso says: "... we can now see that the victory was not merely a localtriumph, as was then thought. No; it was the sign of the deliverance of alithe oppressed peoples of the East and Africa, the beginning of the end ofcolonialism, and the advent of so many countries's struggle for freedomand their entry to the international community. Atatürk is the banner ofali those who believe that ali peoples and ali men should have equalrights and opportunities. Hovvever, he did not only make a change in thedirection of political history at world level: also transcendent are the principleson vvhich he founded the organization of the new Turkish Statewhich he created; principles vvhich were realisic and advanced, suffıcientfor the urgent needs of the moment, yet which have been shown sound inretrospect through time. Kemal was against any theocratic form of government,yet he allovved religious belief to labour in the broad field of theindividual's free conscience".At the end of his Prologue to the English edition of his "Atatürk",Blanco Villalta, vvriting in Ankara in 1976, says: "Atatürk has passed beneaththe bronze arches of history not so much as one of the greatest commandersof ali time, nor as a man who liberated a nation and built a new,modern and prosperous state, but rather and principally, as one of thegreatest philosophers of political theory. He contributed a political planvvhich has wide possibilities for the future of man; a system vvhich at themoment it vvas proclaimed vvas completely revolutionary: a political systemof an economic and social character, in vvhich the direction of theeconomy is the fundamental responsability of the State, vvhich intervenesas far as is necessary and useful, and no further; and a people vvhich is absolutelyfree to elect its rulers, free to adopt its ovvn ideas, free in conscience,and possessing the right of choice."Blanco Villalta's biography of Atatürk has been translated to Turkish,English and other languages. During my ovvn term of duty in Turkey,as Argentine Ambassador (1984-1988), I vvitnessed the great respect andinfluence that Blanco Villalta's book had in Turkey. Before passing on tothe organization of Modern Turkey I vvanted to emphasize that Atatürk'slife and achievements and the inception of modern Turkey is vvell knovvnin Argentina and in the Spanish speaking vvorld, especially, but not only,through Blanco Villalta's biography of Atatürk. Also this is a vvay to paymy respect to a colleague that has done so much to strengthen the relationsbetvveen our tvvo countries: Argentina and Turkey.282