Turkey's National Intelligence Organization has released a secret document dated 1964, related to the period when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the future leader of the Iranian Islamic Revolution, was in exile in Turkey.
The editorial office reports, citing Turkish media, that the document marked “top secret” was shared from MIT's “Special Collection” archive and revealed information about Khomeini's forced residence in Bursa, his security, and the code name used in correspondence.
The document is dated November 11, 1964, and was sent by Ziya Selışık, who was the head of the National Security Service at that time, to the Istanbul Central Directorate. The National Security Service is the former structure of today's MIT.
In the letter, Khomeini is not mentioned by his direct name, but as “an Iranian guest.” The document states that he arrived in Turkey and it was decided that he would reside in Bursa.
The order states that the house where Khomeini would stay and other related matters would be personally introduced to the Bursa Nest Command. It is also noted that the necessary instructions were sent to this institution in written and oral form.
The most striking part of the document concerns the code name. It indicates that the alias “Belli” would be used for Khomeini in correspondence and encrypted communications. This shows that Turkish intelligence was monitoring Khomeini's movements and security in the country under a special regime at that time.
Khomeini was expelled from the country by the regime of Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi on November 4, 1964. He was initially sent to Turkey and subsequently placed under forced residence in Bursa.
The period of exile in Turkey is considered a significant stage in Khomeini's political activity. In October 1965, he moved from Turkey to Najaf, Iraq, and in 1978, he went to France. After the Iranian Islamic Revolution in 1979, he returned to the country and became the founder and supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The newly released document indicates that Khomeini's years of exile in Turkey were managed not only diplomatically but also under intelligence surveillance. The use of the code name “Belli” reveals that this matter held high security sensitivity for Ankara during that period.