The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-11-18
TURK AND TEUTON
Ambassador Morgenthaus Story of Great War Plots
By HENRY MORGENTHAU.

other members Of the II
was quite plain, from all that / could
oVerhear through the thin partitions
mat these nominal rulers Of Turkey
were almost as exasperated over the
closing as were Sir Louis Maliet and
myself. ~ anu
The grand vizier came out in answer
70 my request. He presented a pitlabIe
slght' He was, in title at least, the
most important official Of the Turkish
government, the m%outhpiece of the sI,I-
ian himself, yet now he presented a
picture Of abject helplessness and fear
His face was blanched and he was
trembling from head to foot. He was
SO overcome by his emotions that he
could hardly speak; when | asked him
ETheiher the, news was true that the
DaTdanelles had been closed. he finaiy
stammered out that it was.
You know this mean war" I said
ana l protested as strongly as l could
In the name Of the United States,
All the time that we were talking 7
could hear the loud tones of TaIaat
his associates in the interior apart-
ment. The grand viZier excused him
sen and. went back into the room. He
then sent out Djavid, the minister Of
finance. TO discuss the matter with me-
It's al a surprise to u.s." were
D1aVlds first words-this statement he
ing a complete admission that the cab
met a had nothing to do with it, |
Tepeated mat the United States would
not submit TO closing the Dardanelles:
turkey was at peace, the sultan had
no legal right to shut the straits to
merchant ships except in case Of war,
I sald that an American ship, laden
win supplies and stores for the Ameri-
can embassy. was outside at that mo-
menu waiting, to come in. Djavid sug-
sested that have this vessel unload
her cargo at Smyrna; the Turkish gov
ernment. he obligingly added, would
pay me cost OF transporting 1t over
ana 10 Constantinople. This proposal,
OF course, was a ridiculous evasion of
me issue and | brushed it aside.
DJaVid then said that the cabinet
proposed to investigate the matter:
tlat IN tact, they were discussing IL al
INA moment He told me how Il had
appeheq, A turkish torpedo boat had
tempted to enter the Aegean. The
British warships stationed outside
nailed the ship, examined it and found
shat there were German sailors on
board The English admiral at once or
dered the vessel to go back; this, under
the circumstances, he had a risht 70
40. Weber, Pasha. the German general
VINO was then in charge Of the forth
tlcations, did not consult the Turks.
put Immediately gave orders to close
the stralts. Wangcnheim had already
boosted TO me, as | have said, that the
~Dardanelles could be closed in thirty
minutes and the Germans now made
good his words, Down went the mines
n the nets; the lights in the light
houses were eXtinguished; signals were
put up, hotltylng all ships that there
was no thoroughfare' and the deed,
the most h~igh-handed which the Ger.
nan had yet committed. was done
And here | found these Turkish states
men. who alone had authority over this
a mo- strip Of water. trembling
aH stammerlng with fear. running
miner and yon like a lot of frightened
rabbits. appalled, at the enormity Of the
German act, yet apparently powerless
10 take n decisive action. | GER
tainly had a graphic picture of the ex-
to which Teutonic bullying
nao reduced the present rulers Of the
Turkish empire. And at the same mo-
ment before my mind rose the figure of
the sultan, whose signature was essen
tlal TO close legally these waters, quiet
doing at his palace, entirely obliv-
ions Of the whole transaction.
cabinet might decide to reopen the
it did not do SO. This
great. passage way has now remained
for more than four years, from
sept. q, 1914. / saw. OF course, pre-
clsely what this action signlfied. That
month of September had been a dis
inusloning one for the Germans. The
French had beaten back the invasion
and had driven tho German armies 10
entrenchments along the Aisne. The
Russians were sweeping t%riumphantly
through Galicia; already they had cap
tured Lemberg and 1t seemed not i'm
probable that they would soon cross the
into Austria Hungary. In
those days PallaviCini, the Austrian am
bassador. was a discouraged, lament
able figure, He Copfided to me his
fears for the future, telling me that the
herman nrnUrn nf a short ln,irf..
war had clearly failed and that It was
quite evident that Germany could
win, II she could win at all, which was
exceedingly doubtful, only after a pro-
tTacted struggle, have described how
Turkish army and navy Tor g any even tme
altties, was simply holding Turkey in
his hand. intending actively to use her
forces only in case Germany failed to
crush France and Russia in the first
campaign. Now that that failure was
manifest, Waneenheim was instructed
to use the Turkish empire as an ac-
tive ally.
Hitherto, this nation Of 20, 900, 900 had
been a passive partner, held back by
Wangenheim until Germany had de-
cided that 1t would be necessary to paw
the price of letting her into the wal az
a real participant. The time had coms
when Germany needed the Turkish
army and the outward sign that the
situation had changed was the closing
Of the Dardanelles. Thus Wanpen99
helm had accomplished the task for
which he had been working. and in this
act had fittlngly crowned his achieve
ment Of bringing In the Goeben and the
Breslau. Few Americans realize, even
today, what an overwhelming influence
this act welded upon future military
operations, Yet the fact thar the Wv.
mas lasted for so many years is ex.
planned by this closing Of the Darda.
nelles.
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tn Re Continued