The sun., 1915-03-09
The Weakness OF the Turk as an
Ally.

Ally.
An cgregious miscalculation was
made by Germany when she forced
the reluctant Turks to defy not only
their ancient enemy Russia but old
friends and allies in the Crmea, Eng
land and France Sir LoUIs MALLET.
who was British Ambassador at Con.
~tantinople when the unprovoked at
tack was made on Odessa on October
Is, has told in a White Paper the
story Of German intrigue and Turkish
weakness. No man was in better
position to learn the truth.
Turkey, encouraged by her German
advisers. had used her army TO re-
cover Adranople and. still being un-
der the influence of ENvLB Bey, was
i'm mood to yield to the assurance
that she would become a great power
in the Near East If she took the field
IN support Of Austria and Germany.
ENvrR Rey was Minister of War. He
was dominated" said Sir Louis. "by
n quasi Napoleonic ideal. by political
pan-lslami sm. and by a conviction of
the superiority of German arms" The
Sultan. his heir, and the Grand vizier
were originally opposed to Turkeys
participation in the war. but ENvER
Bey and TALAAT Pasha. the Minister
of the Interior. who dominated the
Government. insisted that Turkeys
opportunity had come, and the plunge
was taken. Sir IorIs MALLET de-
clared grotesquely untrue the charge
that the first act of hostility was
committed by Russia in the Black
Sea. on the contrary. the order to be-
gin the attack upon Odessa was given
he says. by German Admiral with
the Turkish fleet.
The compulsion excrtcd by Ger
many seemed 10 he counsel of des-
peraiion, but II had its roots deep
down in the old Wetpolitik which
has accounted for so many of Ger
many's diplomatic blunders. Dr. p.
advocates of an aggressive foreign pol
icy for the glory and profit of the
Fatherland. wrote in 1911: England
can he attacked and mortally
wounded by land from Europe only
in one place-Egypt. The loss Of
Egypt would mean for England not
only an end of her dominion over the
Suez Canal. and of her connections
with India and the Far East. but
would probably entail the loss of her
possessions in Central and Ea st
Africa" II was also his opinion that
the conquest Of Egypt by Moham-
medan Power. like Turkey. would also
impcril England's hold over her CO.
0o0OoO Mohammedan subjects in
India"
II was believed AZ Berlin that the
Turkish army with German com
manders would make short work Of
Egypt; and Turkey was no sooner
entered into the war than an eXpedi
tion was launched against the Suez
Canal.
How seriously Germany regarded
the value Of her new ally the deS-
patch of Marshal Won DIR GoLTz 10
Constantinople proves. But there
were three serious overSightS or mis-
conceptions. The Dardaneles. even
with the services OF German engineers
10 mine and defend them, were not
impregnahle; and the naval resources
of England and France in the Mcdi-
erranean turned out 10 he formidable.
II could hardly have been understood
at Berlin that sea power would play
such prominent part in the Near
East in the event Of Turkeys entrance
into the war. Again. Russia'S readi-
ness for a campaign in Asiatic Tur-
key proved 10 be n surprise. She had
more troops available and longer
purse. also better organization, than
was supposed.
SO in four months campa gning
nothing of any importance has been
accomplished by the new ally.
WorSted in the Caucasus, bailed in
Egypt and unable 10 hold the en-
trance to the DardanclleS, the Turks
have proved the weakest of reeds to
lean on. With the fall Of Constan-
tinople expected, If mot imminent.
every neutral nation that would profit
by the driving Of the Turk from Eu-
rope, Greece, Rumania, Bulgaria, and
Italy also, is straining at the lea sh
10 take part in the war on the side
of Great Britain and her allies, Rus
sin and France. II is now seen that
the fall of Constantinople would be a
turning point in the war and in all
probability the beginning of the end.