THE NEW ARMENIA

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 255, 23 July 1919, Page 8

THE NEW ARMENIA

PAN-ISLAM INTRIGUES AT TREBIZOKD

TROUBLES IN STORE ("Morning Post's" Special Correspondent.) Tribizond, May 15. Trebizond has long been ■ noted -as a hotbed of intrigue, and, in spite of changes in other respects, it remains so nt tins day. It was therefore not unreasonable that it should be the centre of Gearg.an intrigues immediately the war broke out in August, 1914. It is of interest to show who were the principal workers in that intrigue and in wnat way it was worked, ihe Ocoicrian Legion was started in September, 1914, as (ho result of the agreement above mentioned. The Georgian leader was Pierre Sougouladzi, and his chief acolytes were Leo Kereselidzi, Nestor Magalasaveli, and Aba'Shidzi. The last three had been living in Switzerland, were trained in the Swiss Army, and at Geneva ran a "Georgian independence propaganda paper. They arrived in Turkey with German passports. When the Legion was urbanised Germans and Austrians were in charge of it. Graf von Kchullenburg, the commandant, was recalled in the autumn of 1916 and replaced by Graf Gollen. The second, in command was Dr. Schede, Dr. Iricke chief of the medical service. Herr Schmidt chief of the accountancy. Herr O«enkopf chief of instruction, and Herr Mosel, an Austrian. Quartermaster-Gen-eral, with headquarters at Samsoun and Schliebacli.

The Georgian Legion. The Legion numbered four thousand, and was recruited from oeorgians in Turkey, Mussulmans from Georgia, and a few' Germans and Austrians to strengthen the ranks. It had been hoped by the- Gevmuns to make the Legion a reallv powerful force, which should take the place of. the German divisicm, but these hopes were never realised in spite of the greatest endeavours. The chief agent of (lie Legion was Prince Machu- • belli, who is to-<la.v living comfortably in Constantinople. He is married to the well-known kinema actress Maria Carmi, widow of Vollmuller, the German propaganda agent, who was arrested in t''s autumn of 19U at Gibraltar. Machubelli I'nd arranged in 1!)t5 that when the Turks I'rossi'il (he frontier Bntoum was to bo blown up. Before Turkey entered the war, but after the general war had begun, it is said that the Committee of Union and Progress sent emissaries into Georgia bidding" all Turkish subjects to :eturn immediately to Turkey. This move was extremely satisfactory, as abotift eighty thousand Mussulman subjects crossed the frontier into Turkey. Very few of these were enrolled in the Georgian Legion, the males being mostly taken for the Turkish. Army. Many of t'lieni to-day regret bitterly "their departure from Russia. They left everything behind them, and for a time have been living in the villages of the deported Greeks and Armenians, but again to-day they are obliged to move on. After having been fascinated by the promises of the Committee of Union and Progress, to-day they are reaping the results of their stupidity. Inglorious Record,

The history of the Georgian Legion is not a glorious one. In spite of their German training they took practically no part in the fighting. When Krzcrum was occupied they were the first of all the Turkish troops to evacuate Trebizond for Treboli, and afterwards they evacuated Treboli for Kerasundn, and to places further west, although the ."Russians never progressed beyond four miles cast of Treboli. Unfortunately, having spies on both sidos of the lines, they were able 011 many occasions to upset the Russian plans, ' but otherwise they were proven by 'both the I'ussians and Turks to 'be untrustworthy, inefficient, but first-c'nss intriguers. It must be noted that Georgian intrigues are not yet- at an end.

To-day there is a Lax-Georgian Committe'o with plenty of money at its hack intriguing to bring about the amalgamation of Georgia with Lazistan. In my opinion this amalgamation is the result of the intrigues of the Committee of Union and Progress, which at all cost 3 will see the destruction of any Armenia the Peace Conference may creato. An independent Armenia in the Caucasus will disturb for ever the plan of a series of Islamic States extending into Siberia, which for years past lias been the dream of the Pan-Islam Party.

Tho temper of the population is §uch to-dny that unless stern measure; are taken immediately an independent Armenia will exist only in name. The Lazes and Georgians are both agreed, and behind them is a controlling organisation with a programme arranged in view of every eventuality.