The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-12-31
TURK AND TEUTON
Ambassador MOrgenthaus Story of Great War Plots
Rr HENRY MORGENruA All

! to finish with them. If we don't they
will plan their revenge"
IF you are not influenced by HUI
name considerations" / replied, think
Of the material loss. These people are
your business men. They control many
Of your industries. They are very large
taxpayers. What would become of you
commercially without them2"
I'VE care nothing about the CONNER
cial loss" replied Talaat. I'VE have
figured all that out and we know that
II will not exceed five million pounds.
We don't worry about that. | have
asked you to come here so as to let
you know that our Armenian policy is
absolutely fixed and that nothing can
change it. We will not have the Ar
menians anywhere in Anatolia. They
can live in the desert, but nowhere
else."
| still attempted to persuade Talaat
that the treatment of the Armenians
was destroying Turkey in the eyes of
the world, and that this country would
never be able to recover from this in
fanny.
you are making a terrible mistake, -
| said, and | repeated the statement
three times.
Yes, we may make Mistakes" he
replied, "but-and he firmly closed his
lips and shook his head-'we never
regret"
l had many talks with Talaat on
the Armenians, but l never succeeded
in moving him to the slightest degree.
He always came back to the points
which he had made in this interview.
He was very willing to grant any re-
quest | made in behalf of the Ameri-
cans or even of the French and Eng
fish, but l could obtain no general con-
Cessions for the Armenians. He seemed
to me always to have the deepest per-
sonal feeling in this matter, and his
antagonism to the Armenians seemed
to Increase as their sufferings in
creased. One day, discussing a par
ticular Armenian, l told Talaat that
as an enemy Of the Turks; that in
reality he was their friend.
n Armenian" replied Talaat, can
be our friend after what we have done
to them"
One day Talaat made what was per-
haps the most astonishing request
had ever heard. The New York Life
Insurance company INC the Equitable
Life of New York had for years done
considerable business among the Arme-
mans. The extent to which they in
sured their lives vas merely another
indication Of their thrifty habits.
Il wish Talaat now said, that you
would get the American life insur-
ance companies to send us a complete
list Of their Armenian policy holders.
Ihey are practically all dead now n
have left no heirs to collect the money.
i of course all escheats to the state.
The government is the beneficiary now.
viii you do so?"
This was almost too much, and | lost
my temper.
You will get no such lists from me-"
l said, and got up and left him.
One other episode involving the Ar
menians stirred Talaat to one of his
most ferocious moods. In the latter
part of September, Mrs. Morgenthau
left for America. The sufferings of the
Armenians had greatly preyed upon her
mind and she really left for home be
cause she could not any longer endure
to live in such a country. But she de-
termined to make one last intercession
for this poor people on her own ac-
count. Her way home took her through
Bulgaria, and she had received an init
nation that Queen Eleanor of that
country would be glad to receive her.
Perhaps it was Mrs. Morgenthau's we'll
known interest in social work that led
to this invitation. Queen Eleanor was
a hfgh-minded woman, who had led a
sad and lonely existence. and who was
spending most of her time attempting
to improve the condition of the poor in
Bulgaria. She knew all about social
work in American cities, and a few
years before she had made all her plans
to visit the United States in order to
study our settlements at first hand.
At the time of Mrs. Morgenthau's visit
the queen had two American nurses
from the Henry Street settlement OF
New York, instructing a group of Bull
garian girls in the methods of the
American Red Cross
! NV wife was mainly interested in