Total war and Ottoman military intelligence, 1914-1918: an inquiry into its expanding tasks through intelligence reports

Domestic politics and the conditions of the Total War led the Ottoman ruling elite to expand the workload of the Intelligence Section of the Ottoman General Staff during the First World War. Originally established as a military intelligence organization, the Second Branch dealt with foreign intelligence, but became increasingly involved in domestic security, propaganda, and censorship during 1914–18. This article examines the variety of tasks of the Second Branch. It introduces the practice of reporting and disseminating intelligence within and beyond the Ottoman armed forces. By doing so, the article aims to explain organizational change in military intelligence under wartime conditions.