The Washington herald., 1917-07-01
TURKS CARE WELL
FOR WAR CAPTIVES
Former Ambassador Says Prisoners
Are Well Treated by Enemy.
BY CHARLES F. BERTELLI.
international News Service.)

Paris. June II CBy Mail to New
York, June 8)-Constantinople is
quiet. and the Turks are convinced
that they will not come out of the war
the loser, according to Abram I.
Elkus, former United States Ambas-
sador, in Chicago, who has arrived
here from the Ottoman capital with
his family and embassy staff. To an
interviewer the former Ambassador
said:
81 must state with all frankness
that during my attack of typhus,
which delayed my departure from
Pera, the Turkish authorities treated
me with the greatest kindness, and,
although they did not seek to disguise
the fact that they felt Americas entry
into the war was bad for them, their
displeasure was never translated into
any vexatious or hostile behavior
toward myself.
'tAs a matter Of fact, in a general
way, the Turks behaved generously
toward their enemies. Their prisoners
Of war are well treated, and the most
illustrious among them, Gen. Sir
Charles Townshend. of Kut-el-Amara.
told me on many occasions he was
very well satisfied with the way the
Turkish government was behaving
toward him. He Is detained on a small
island in the Bosphorus. Once a week
he Is allowed to go to Constantinople
and do his shopping. and he generally
took occasion to drop in and see me
for a chat.
Enemy Citizens at Liberty.
Enemy citizens. in Constantinople
enjoy complete liberty and only oc-
casionally are a few OF them tenn
porarily interned as a measure of re-
prisal. Many Turks still retain their
affection for the countries now fight
ing against them.
1t Is certainly not true that Turkey
is exhausted, demoralized and an
xious to get out OF the war. OF course,
conditions are far from prosperous
there. You notice the lack of many
things. Wheat Is short, and they have
bread cards. But there is no real
famine and population kitchens re-
lieve the worst cases of distress.
Never to my knowledge have there
bene any disorders in Constantinople,
and never noticed that Turkish con-
fidence has been shaken. Thes facts
may disillusion those people who i'm
agine that Turkey is down and out
and it will hurt nobody to know the
real situation.
I'VE were seen of at the railroad
station by representatives of the
Grand Vizier and the Porte. A special
carriage attached to the Balkan ex-
press was placed at our disposal and
we travelled in 1t right up to the
Swiss frontier"
The Balkan express runs between
Berlin and Constantinople.
"a Turkish officer escorted US to
the Turkish frontier.
Equally courteous was the attitude
adopted toward US at Vienna, where,
thanks to the kind offices of the
Spanish ambassador, we were allowed
to spend twelve hours. I was allowed
to dine at the Hotel Bristol in Wen
ma. The meal was excellent and,
though the price was high, it was not
exhorbitant. AS far as I could see
in the brief time spent in the Aus
trian capital things were pretty nor
NAL there, at least such were surface
indications"
G. Bic Ravndal, formerly American
consul general at Constantinople,
whose departure preceded that of the
Ambassador, is also in Paris, where
he has been detailed for special work.
He is enthusiastic about the future
OF the United States in the Near East
from a commercial viewpoint.
Americans will play a preponder-
ant role commercially and financially
in the Near East after the war" he
said. IAN American banking house
will be established in Constantinople
and many OF Americas leading manu-
facturers will open up there to take
advantage OF the free port facilities
which presumably will obtain there
according to the peace settlement.
There will be more than one direct
line of steamships plying between
Odessa, the Russian port and New
York, via Constantinople.
THE east is ripe for social change
and there Is no prejudice in Turkey
against progress. Americans are al
ready established firmly in the coun-
try. There are eleven American col
leges and hundreds Of schools. The
American University at Beirut and
the Roberts College and American
College for Girls at Constantinople
are very valuable institutions. Miss
Mary Mills Patrick, president Of the
Girls College is now in the United
States arranging for an addition of
a medical school for women to the
college"