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- Code Name Trojans: The dark history of the U.S. spy school in Ankara emerged from a white Chevrolet
Code Name Trojans: The dark history of the U.S. spy school in Ankara emerged from a white Chevrolet
The veil of secrecy around the mysterious American spy school is lifted with the book Trojans: The American Spy School in Ankara (Trojans: Ankara'da ABD Ajan Okulu). Journalist Ahmet Köprülü sheds powerful light on Turkey's recent history with this work, meticulously prepared through thousands of pages of documents, photographs, and testimonies.
The secret activities of the American school established in the heart of Ankara 68 years ago have been accidentally uncovered through a Chevrolet displayed at a car gallery. 
Yearbooks from the American School, founded inside the fully restricted military base in Balgat—which gained notoriety after the “Cosmic Room” raid—have served as valuable sources for piecing together key events from those years.
The mysterious American school established in Ankara’s Balgat district in 1957 and shut down in 1985 has resurfaced through the book “Trojans: The American Spy School in Ankara” (Trojans: Ankara’da ABD Ajan Okulu) by journalist Ahmet Köprülü. Published as the second volume in the “Declassified X Books” series by Hayat Publishing, Trojans was prepared by meticulously examining thousands of pages of documents, photos, names, and testimonies.
In 2006, journalist Ahmet Köprülü came across the name Jack E. Daseler, the founder of the American School in Balgat, while inspecting the registration papers of a classic Chevrolet at a gallery in Tandoğan, Ankara. 
In a command-style letter from the TUSLOG (U.S. Logistics Group Detachment 30) Command to the Ankara Police Traffic Department—breaking military correspondence norms—the American Aid Mission official Daseler was “requested” to receive Ankara license plates for his car. 
An unusual military letter sent to the Ankara Traffic Directorate for Jack Daseler.
While tracing this JUSMMAT official through U.S. Army documents, Köprülü accidentally discovered the school yearbooks of the American School (Ankara American High School), which was dubbed “Trojans” by Americans and published internally from 1958 to 1980.
Founded 68 years ago and also referred to as a “faculty,” the school provided education primarily to the children of American military personnel, diplomats, and intelligence officers based in Turkey and neighboring countries. It also played a significant role in public relations efforts across Turkey.
From the U.S. Ambassador with “extraordinary” authority to JUSMMAT and TUSLOG generals, key American figures involved in the school's administration carried out major political operations—from the establishment of the Baghdad Pact to Turkey’s distancing from the Soviet Union. 
Colonel Kamil Homriş, introduced with the rank of ‘Colonel,’ was part of the administration of AHS.
A Turkish colonel, Kamil Homriş, also served on the school’s board. Köprülü found Homriş’s name at the Ankara Vocational High School for Land Registry and Cadastre, where he began teaching French after retiring from the military. Among his students was Abdullah Öcalan, the future leader of the PKK terrorist organization. A student who knew Homriş also shared memories in the Trojans book.
AMERICA’S PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: “THE FIGHT AGAINST COMMUNISM”
Following World War II, the USSR's pressure on Turkey regarding the Straits and Kars-Ardahan practically forced the country into the arms of America and the Atlantic alliance. Exploiting Turkey’s vulnerable situation, the U.S. turned “the fight against communism” into a constitutional mission from the 1940s onward. However, yearbooks from the American School reveal that students were allowed to hang portraits of Lenin, the founder of the USSR, on their dormitory walls—photos of which were even published in the yearbooks.
By comparing these records to historical developments, Köprülü uncovered that before the Peace Corps were sent to Turkey—who later contributed to closing the Village Institutes in the early 1960s—students from the American School were frequently assigned to public relations duties throughout the country.
Officers of the United States Air Force (USAF) remained in the administration of AHS for many years. In 1958, the highest-ranking military officer in charge of the school, TUSLOG Commander General Newcomer, was a well-known figure in the USAF.
Edited by journalist Kamuran Akkuş, the 184-page Trojans also sheds light on the period surrounding the May 27 coup, when America’s political influence in Turkey peaked. With CENTO and TUSLOG connections, the school became a hub for U.S.-led political operations in and around Turkey, as is evident from the profiles of those who administered the school.
Portraits of figures tied to the Masonic lodge, the Methodist Church, the “Illuminati,” and CIA agents—some of whom played roles in coups and bombed Germany—are presented through documents, archival materials, and testimonies.
In 1967, during a period when the leftist opposition in Turkey was on the rise, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Lyon Bartlett visited the school and boosted the morale of the Americans.
“WHO SAID THIS IS BUSH’S FIRST VISIT? HE WAS IN ANKARA IN 1978”
When U.S. President George W. Bush visited Istanbul in 2004 for the NATO Summit, it was portrayed as his first trip to Turkey. However, striking documents and photos in Trojans reveal that Bush had previously visited Turkey in 1978 with his then-new wife Laura. The book also illustrates the sociological and cultural transformation Ankara underwent during the “Little America” years.
It is stated that JUSMMAT officer Elisabeth McNeill, who allegedly came to Turkey because of a heartbreak, was actually working for the CIA, according to findings reflected in the book. 
The comprehensive operation carried out by McNeill and how she set a trap for Turkey are also described in Trojans.
Lenin Poster Hung on the Wall of the American School!
Especially immediately after the end of World War II, the Soviet Union’s pressure on Turkey over the Straits and Kars-Ardahan virtually forced Turkey into dependence on the United States and the Atlantic alliance. Exploiting Turkey’s difficult situation, the U.S. had, starting from the 1940s, effectively made “fighting communism” a constitutional duty in Turkey. However, American school yearbooks revealed that students at the American School could easily hang pictures of Lenin, the founder of the USSR, on their dormitory walls—and that these photos were even published in the yearbooks.
Author Ahmet Köprülü describes the American School yearbooks from 1958 to the 1980s as a journey through time. He also investigates how Turkey fell into an American trap while fleeing the Soviet threat after World War II—and the consequences that followed—in Trojans.
By the 1970s, there was a noticeable increase in the number of Black students and teachers. Clear messages such as “We value our Black people too” were highlighted, with slogans like “Black is beautiful.
The Americans also referred to the school as The Citadel, meaning ‘the Fortress.
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