The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-11-05
TURK AND TEUTON
Ambassador Morgenthau's Story of Great War Plots
BY HENRY MORGENTHAC.

still actually at peace. Clearly Greece
had just as much right to purchase
warships in the United States as Tur-
key a to purchase them in Brazil or
England.
But Djemal was not the only states
man who attempted to prevent the sale;
the German ambassador displayed the
keenest interest. Several days after
DjemaIs visit, Wangenheim and / were
riding in the hills north Of CONSTANT
nople; Wangenneim began to talk about
the Greeks. TO whom he displayed a
violent %antipathy, about the chances of
war, and the projected sale of Ameri-
can warships. He made a long argu-
ment about the sale, his reasoning be-
ing precisely the same as DjemaIs--a
fact which aroused my suspicious that
he had himself coached Djemal for his
interview with me.
Just look at the dangerous prece-
dent you are establishing" said Wan
gehheim. 1T Is not unlikely that the
United States may sometime find Itself
in a position like Turkeys today. Sup
pose that YOU were on ~the\brink of wal
with Japan; then England could sell
Il fleet Of d~readnoughts to Japan. How
would the United States like that?'
n then he made a statement which
Indicated what really lay back of his
protest. I have thought of it many
times in the last three Years. The
oNNhC 10 llhGllblS llIlpi tNSCu vi my
mind. There we sat on our horses; the
silent ancient forest of Belgrade lay
around US, while in the distance the
Black sea glistened in the afternoon
sun. Wangenheim suddenly became
quiet and extremely earnest, He looked
In my eyes and said:
II don't think that the United States
realizes what a serious matter this
is. The sale of these ships might be
the cause that would bring on a Eu-
rOpean war;
This conversation took place on June
10; this was about six weeks before the
C"ontlagration broke out. Wangenheim
knew perfectly well that Germany was
rushing preparations for this great con-
flict, and he also knew that prepara-
tions We're not yet entirely complete.
Like all' the German ambassadors,
Wangenheim had received instructions
not to let any crisis arise that would
p~recipitate war until all these prepare
lions had been finished. He had nc
objections to the expulsion of the
Greeks, for hat in itself was part OF
these preparations; he was much dis
turbed, however, owe the prospect that
the Greeks might succeed in armins
themselves and disturbing existing con
ditions in the Balkans. At that mo-
ment the Balkans were a smoldering
volcano; Europe had gone through tive
Balkan wars without becoming gen.
orally involved, and Wangenheim knew
that another would set the whole con,
tinent ablaze. He knew that war wa:
coming, but he did not want 1t jus
then. He was simply attempting t.
influence me at that moment to gair
a little more time for Germany.
He went 50 far as to ask me to caUi'
personally to the president, explain TIL,
seriousness Of the situation, and to cal
his attention to the kilograms that bat
gone to the state department on th1
proposed sale of the ships. l REGARDED
his suggestion as an impertinent on,
and declined to act upon it.
To Djemal and the other Turkish of
ficials who kept pressing me | sug
, gested that their ambassador in wash
ington should take up the matter di
rectly with the president. They acte'