New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-16
The Failure of Allied Arms and
Diplomacy in the Balkans.


Al the outset OF "a discussion Of recent
events in the Balkans it is essential TO
recognize that the Allies, the Quadruple
Alliance. as conuasted with the Ieutonic'
lave suffered a real and considerable defeat
in the Balkans. military defeat In the
pardanclcs. a diplomatic defeat IN Sonia,
fthens and. so far, IN Bucharest. They
have failed 20 force the Straits and they
have failed to enlist the Balkan States.
What are the causes Of this double re-
verse? Sir Edward Grey's wholly incom-
piete and mconcusive statements leave us
little wiser than before he spoke. Del
cass5 has gone into retirement leaving a
statement which Vivian declined to read.
j, is left. then, for the observer to con-
struc. his own case, 70 write his own ex-
plantation.
But. primarily, it is useful and neces-
sarv To see the situation in the Near East
as it was when the present war began.
Tb,n the first concern of the Allies was
20 keep Turkey neutral. For a few
months there was waged in Constantinople
q tremendous diplomatic battle. 1t ended
in complete Allied defeat Turkey took
ttc Kaiser's shilling.
Yet it is difficult to see how diplomacy
could have prevented this, because safety
ed eelf-interest alike dictated Turkeys
decision. Russia was the hereditary
enemy. AS Britain's ally Russia had OBJ
.aiucd British consent to the opening Of
the Straits. At the least no Turk could
doubt this. Russia. victorious, was bound
to retake the road to Czarigrad.
Beyond this. when Turkey enlisted the
German 42-centimetre guns had just re-
duced Antwerp and a victorious army was
approaching Warsaw. Not only self-inter-
est but immediate profit and permanent
safety seemed assured through Teutonic
aid. Naturally Enver Pacha's German
leanines and the guns of the Goeben
helped. but the reasons Of policy were
unmstakahe.
When Turkey enlisted there was reclp-
rocal benefit to the Allies. Italy. with her
Tripolitan colony. her Kgean ambitions
and her Austrian grudge, was aroused.
The doom OF Turkey was now sealed If the
Allies won. If Turkey were partitioned,
Italy desired share If Turkey were re-
generated under German direction, Italian
ambitions were at an end and Italy's great
African colony was in peril.
Accordingly italy drifted steadily tow
-hf fine
their service last May and brought her
army and fleet to their aid. Had the Allies
won in Constantinople Italy might have
remained neutral. Here the Allies gain
exceeded their loss. The defeat at Con-
stantinople was counterbalanced by the
success at Rome.
The enlistment of Italy, however,
changed the whole Balkan situation.
Greek svmpathies were with the Allies.
Greek ambitions were predicated on Turk
ISL disruption and the reconquest by
Greece of the Gttoral Of Asia Minor, where
in the morning Of history Greece and Per
STA fought. These ambitions the Allies
had agreed TO recognize if Greece would
give her armies TO the Allies.
At this point, however, Bulgaria de
manded attention. Greece had taken Ka-
vala and Drama from Bulgaria in the Sec
ond Balkan War. These cities Bulgaria
intended TO retake. II Greece should have
the integrity Of her own lands guaran-
teed by the Allies Bulgarias hopes were
at an end. So Bulgaria protested
This raised new difficulty. If Greece
entered the war on the Allied side and Bull
garia joined the Kaisers, then the situation
remained unchanged and the capture Of
Constantinople was az far off as ever.
Accordingly the Allies suggested TO Greece
that she give up Kavala and Drama in
return for prospective gains in Asia
notably Smyrna.
Here Greece baked. Venizelos was
willing, but King Constantine was not
Venizelos fell; there was pause inciden.
20 an election. In this pause the Allied
fleets. which had been sent TO the Darda
nelles with the expectation that they woulc
be supported by the Greek army. tried an,
failed. When the Greek elections wer
over an Allied army was on Gallipoli pen
insula but the golden moment had passed
More than this. Italian enlistment hat
raised a new question. Italy held Rhode
and the Dodecanesus group Of Kgean Isl
ands, whose population is Greek. Italy ha
forbidden Greek expansion in Northern
Epirus, where the population is Hellenic
Italian ambition runs counter TO Greel
from Smyrna 20 Adalia. Now Greece
might well inquire whether the Allies, Il
get Italian aid, have sold her aspirations
out. And she did inquire.
In this situation the Allies redoubled
their efforts 10 enlist Bulgaria. But Bull
garia insisted upon Kayala and Drama
She also demanded all Serbian Macedonia
and the Bulgar lands stolen hy Rumania at