On May 19 , 1919 , Mustafa Kemal ( later Atatürk ) landed in Samsun , far away from the war zone of the Greco-Turkish War in western Anatolia . The arrival of the former together with members of the former Young Turks movement , many of whom were wanted for crimes committed during World War I , marked the final phase of the Greek genocide and the extermination campaign of the local Greek communities continued the following years . During late spring of 1921 , the activity of armed bands led by Topal Osman included looting , burning of Greek settlements around Samsun and massacre of the civilian Greek population . The rest of the population was deported to the interior of Anatolia . Although not allowed out of Samsun , American relief workers observed the nearby village of Kadikeuy being systematically looted . Its residents as well as those from other villages fled to the city of Samsun to find refuge . Due to his activity , Topal Osman was portrayed as a " national hero " by the Turkish press in Ankara and Constantinople . Meanwhile , the commander of USS Fox which was stationed off Samsun , reported that c. 100 surrounding Greek villages were destroyed , their inhabitants killed and the priests were crucified . As a result , the United States High Commissioner in Istanbul , admiral Mark Lambert Bristol , immediately filled a protest against the Turkish officials of Samsun
Greek genocide
Greek genocide
Samsun deportations