PEACE IN PERIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 September 1922, Page 5

PEACE IN PERIL.

VICTORY OF THE TURKS. INFLAMED BY WAR SPIRIT. CONFLICT MAY SPREAD. FIRM ACTION NECESSARY. By Telegraph.—Press Assn —Copyright. Received Sept. 12, 11.20 p.m. London, Sept. 11. ‘‘The assassination of Francis Ferdinand was the spark which exploded Europe into the Great War, and the recovery of Smyrna by her triumphant forces has revived Turkey and may lead to another conflagration unless the danger is recognised and dealt with firmly.” This is a warning from the United States Ambassador (Mr. Morgenthau) in an interview with the Time*. Mr. Morgenthau knows the people of whom he speaks and knows their leaders personally. He says that while the Turkish successes may appear small when compared with the military events in the Great War the recovery of Smyrna is just such an episode a» may lead to tremendous results. A new and menacing situation has arisen and a positive policy is peeded to localise the danger and prevent it spreading into Europe. The Nationalist movement has crystallized into a formidable manifestation of Turkish military power and racial intolerance. Mr. Morgenthau doubts if the Turks will now be content with their avowed aim —the regaining of Smyrna and Constantinople—and dreads that even this may be accompanied by widespread massacres and looting, partly as a makeshift means of paying the troops and partly a? a means to remove inconvenient minorities, as was done during the late war.

I The Turkish victories are not only likelv to affect Moslems in the British and French Dominions, and the uneasy populations of Irak and Syria, but are even more likely to affect the countries defeated in the Great War. He asks what will happen if Angora regains access to Thrace and tempts Bulgaria to restore communication with Turkey. Bulgaria smarts under treaty penalties, but especially she resents the delay in affording her an outlet into the Aegean Sea. and may be tempted to fall upon the disorganised Greeks to recover seaports. T/p new Europe is established with an unstable equilibrium and the new order is not sufficiently mature to resist a violent shock if administered by a former dominant military caste, which has been condemned throughout Central Europe to economic obliteration. Germany’s unemployed officers, finding Turkey able to come to life again and defy the Powers, would jump at the chance to join Kemal in a barbaric war of revenge and plunder, in which they would find opportunities for personal aggrdndisement. Thus the democracies of Europe, averse to intolerance of militarv burdens may become the victims of these gunmen of the world, rallying under the victorious Crescent and embarking upon lucrative aggression, perhaps with Soviet assistance. Mr. Morgenthau appeals to Britain to take a lead in localising the peril, adding that the Turks must at any cost be prevented from controlling the Dardanelles. —Times Service. THE NEUTRAL ZONE. ALLIES TO GUARD IT. BRITISH TROOPS READY. Received Sept. 12, 10.45 p.m. London, Sept. 12. The Allied Commissioners at Constantinople have informed the Angora Government that under no circumstances will they permit the Kemalists to violate the neutral zone, including the Dardanelles, the Bosphorus and Constantinople. It is the British Government’s policy to keep the problems of Thrace and the Straits separate from Asia Minor questions. Anti-Christian outbreaks are reported in Constantinople. French and British shops were attacked. British troops are held at Malta in readjness to sail to Turkey. —-Times Service. ELATION IN EGYPT. CHEERS FOR KEMALIST VICTORY. Received Sept. 12, 9.10 p.m. Cairo, Sept. 11. The populace is elated at the Kemalist triumph. Flags are flying here and at Alexandria, and prayers were offered in the mosques. The uneducated people believe thijt the Kemalists, having driven the Greeks from Asia Minor, will also drive the English out of Egypt. A prominent feature of a procession at Alexandria was a large crucifix broken in twain. AGITATOR GIVES TROUBLE. Received Sept. 12, 5.5 p.m. Constantinople, Sept. 11. A Turkish agitator arrived at Pera and attacked Christian shops, breaking windows with revolvers and stones. He also attacked numerous French and British shops in the British quarter.’ including the office of the French newspaper Bosphohe. Several deaths occurred. The police are powerless. — Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. APPEAL TO THE LEAGUE. Received Sept. 12, 5.5 p.m. Geneva, Sept. 11. The Greeks have appealed to the League of Nations to take immediate steps to protect their nationals in Anatolia. FRENCH PRESS DEFEND TURKEY. Paris, Sept. 11. The Matin says that Britain seems to be reproaching the Angora Government with having had relations with the Bolsheviks. This question may be dealt w’ith more fully at the proper time and place. For the moment we will confine ourselves to noting that this reproach comes from the lips of those who invited the Bolsheviks to come to Genoa on the footing of equality. The Matin sees in the desire of Jugoslavia and Bulgaria to participate in the peace negotations, British intrigues designed to incite the Balkans against the Turks. The Balkans will understand it is not in their interests to embark on adventure which will be disastrous. There is no Turkish threat in their independence, it is purely a matter of retaking territory which is their legitimate property. France must lom a minute in connection with this

grave question. The lessons *of history prove that natural tradition is the base for a conception which is not that of Sevres. , _ .. - The Echo d? Paris, states the Turkish claims are irreducible. The paper studies the means of reconciliating them with the British policy, which does not admit of the return of the Straits. The Victoire says the Mussulman*; of the British Empire will be grateful to France and Britain for a reconciliation with their religious chief. Peace will be possible if Britain is reasonable. The Turks are not asking for the moon. Following the entry of Turkish troops into Smyrna a panic broke out among the Greeks, but order was restored. Despite the Turkish commander’s undertaking not to permit excesses, looting occurred early in the evening, though it is not clear whether the soldiers or the lower elements of the population were resnonsible. A Turkish officer stopped it. Allied detachments were landed with the concurrence- of the Turkish commander, and these men patrol the city, which is quite orderly. The Greeks, before evacuating, removed the archives and all the bullion obtainable.