Has The American Legion ever had a post in Istanbul?

The Web page of FODPAL (Foreign and Outlying Departments and Posts of The American Legion) includes some very early history of overseas posts. There has been no Legion post in Istanbul, but there was briefly one in Constantinople - Istanbul's former name.

According to the page, "The actual approval of the Department of France occurred at the National Executive Committee meeting held on 7 February 1921 in Washington; but considerable discussions were held on chartering American Legion departments and posts in foreign countries. Since the fact that the idea of The American Legion itself was born in Paris, France, it was decided to charter American Legion departments and posts in foreign countries, and the Department of France was created with posts in Belgium, France, Germany, Poland and Turkey.

"At the American Legion National Convention held in Kansas City, Mo., from 31 October 1921 through 2 November 1921, it was decided to assemble the posts in Europe under a new title: The Department of Continental Europe. At this time there were six posts: Paris Post 1, Paris, France; Brussels Post 2, Brussels, Belgium; Amaroc Post 3, Cologne, W. Germany; Warsaw Post 4, Warsaw, Poland; Constantinople Post 5, Constantinople, Turkey; and Garden of Eden Post 6.

"At the National Executive Committee held on 14 October 1923, in San Francisco, Paris Post1 submitted a resolution to the National Executive Committee requesting that the Department of France be reconstituted because many of the posts that made up the Department of Continental Europe had ceased to exist and Paris Post 1 was the only post remaining. It was decided by the National Executive Committee to approve the re-establishment of the Department of France."

An account of life in Constantinople while the post was active can be found in a December 1922 edition of The American Legion Weekly. The Turkish government made the name change in 1930; someone even wrote a song about it. Hear the song: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsQrKZcYtqg