Atatürk's French exchange before his 1930 US address surfaces for first time

Atatürk's 1930 address to the American people has resurfaced, and this time it comes with a few seconds nobody had heard before.

The footage dates from 11 November 1930, when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Türkiye, spoke to Americans in the presence of US Ambassador Joseph Grew. It was republished 96 years later, pieced together from different archives, including the Turkish film directorate's and the University of South Carolina's, and colorized.

The new part is the moment just before the speech. Atatürk asks in French for the floor, roughly "May I say a few things, with your permission?" Grew answers, also in French, "Please, Your Excellency." Atatürk then continues in Turkish.

Historian Ali Taner Tümer said this exchange had never been shared before. The release came just as Türkiye marked 88 years since Atatürk's death on 10 November.