The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-12-30
[MG447E FEATURES H. NEWS SCLNITAR L@4z HOWE HELPS I
MAGAZINE FEATURES
TURK AND TEUTON
AMBASSADOR MOrgenthau's Story of Great War Plots
BY HENRY MoRGENTHAU.

hours they would sit in my office and
with tears streaming down their faces,
they would tell me OF tho horrors
through which they had passed. Many
Of these, both men and women. were
almost broken in health from the scenes
which they had witnessed. In many
cases they brought me letters from
American consuls confirming the most
dreadful OF their variations and adding
many unprintable details, The general
purport OF all these first-hand reports
was that the utter depravity and fiend-
ishness of the Turkish nature, already
sufficiently celebrated through the cen
turles, had now surpassed itself. There
was only one hope OF saving nearly
L'vOV,oOO people from massacre. starva-
tlon ana even worse, | was told-that
was the moral power OF the United
states. These spokesman OF n con-
denned nation declared that unless the
American ambassador could persuade
the Turk to stay his destroying arm tho
whole Armenian nation would disap-
pear. 1t was not only American and
Canadian missionaries who made this
personal appeal. Several OF their Ger
man associates begged me to intercede.
THESE men and women confirmed all
the worst things which I had heard,
and they were unsparing In @denouncinR
their W fatherland. They did not
conceal the humiliation which they felt
as Germans in the fact tina their own
nation was allied with a people that
could perpetrate such infamies but they
understood German policy well enough
to know that Germany would not in
tercede. There was no use In expect
ing aid from the kaiser, they said
America must stop the massaCres, or
they would go on.
Technically, Of course. | had no light
to interfere. According 10 the cold
blooded legalitlcs of the situation, the
treatment Of Turkish subjects by tho
turkish government was purely a do
nestle affair; unless 1t directly affected
American lives and American interests,
II was outside the concern Of the Amer
lean government. when | first ap-
preached Talaat on the subject, he
called my attention 10 this fact In no
uncertain terms, This Interview was
one Of the most exciting which | had
had up to that time. Two missionaries
had Just called upon me, giving the fun
details Of the frightful happenings at
konia After listening to their stories,
could not restrain myself and went
Immediately to the sublime porte. |
saw at once that Talaat was in one
Of his most ferocious states of mind,
For months he had been attempting to
secure the release OF two OF his closest
friends, AyUub Sahri and Hlnnoun, who
were held as prisoners by the English
at Malta. His failure in this matter
'F' =" WIN ~ hAhe wv "N'N
ton, he was always taiKlng about Il.
always making new suggestions for
getting his friends back TO Turkey, and
always appealing to me for help. So
furious did the Turkish boss become
when thinking about his absent friends
that We usually referred to these mani
festations as Talaat in his "Ayoub Sa-
hri moods This particular morning
the minister of the interior was In one
of his worst "Ayoub Sabri moods. -
Once more he had been working for the
release OF the eXiles and once more he
had failed. As usual, he attempted TO
preserve outer calm and courtesy to
me, but his short. snappy phrases, his
bull dog rigldity and his wrists, planted
on the table. showed that II was an
unfavorablc moment to stir him to any
sense of pity or remose. | first spoke
to him about a Canadian missionary,
Or. McNaughton, who was receiving
harsh treatment in Asia Minor,
The man Is an English agent" he
replied and we have the evidence for
Let me see it," I asked.
Wen do nothing for any English
man or any Canadian" ne replied, "un-
I'll they r~ealease Ayoub and Zinnoun.'
But you promised TO treat English
in the employ Of Americana az Ameri-
cans" | replied,
THAT may be" rejoined the minis
ltIt bhN ~ plblliloO " W. ''"N W
be kept forever. | withdraw that
promise now, There is a time limit
on q promise
But il a promise is not binding what
is?" | asked,
"A guarantee" Talaat answered
quickly,
This fine Turkish distinction had y
certain metaphysical interest, but !
had more practical matters to DISCUSS
at that time. SO ! began TO talk about
the Armenians at Konia. | had hardly
started when Talaat's attitude became
even more belligerent,I His eyes lighted
up, he brought his jaws together, leaned
over toward me, and snapped t
Are they AneriCana2'
The implications OF this question were
hardly diplomatic; Il was merely IA way
Of telling me that the matter was none
of my business. In a TalaA'
said this in so many words.
The Armenians are not to be trust
ed" he said. besides, what we do witt
them does not concern the United
States"
replied that I regarded myself as
the friend M the Arinenians and wa
shocked at the way that they were be
ing treated. hui he shook his heaC
and refused to discuss the matter.
saw that nothing could be gained BY
forcing the issue at that time, | spok'
in behalf Of another British subject wit
was NV pNlAik t''fN''s'
"He's English, isn't ne7' answered
Talaat. Then | shall do as l like with
him"
Eat him, II you wish I replied,
No" said Talaat, he would sc
against my digestion"
He was altogether in a reckless mood
Cot strafe England he shouted
using one OF the few German phrases
that he knew AS 20 your Armenians
we don't give q rap for the future! W
live only in the present, As TO thu
English, | wish you would telegraph
Washington that we snail not do
thing for them until they let out Ayou1
! Sahri aud Hinnoun!"
Then leaning over. he struck a pose
pressed his hand to his heart, and sal,
! In E%nglish-I think this must have beef
almost all the English he knew:
"Ayoub Sahri-he-my--hrudder,"
Despite this I made another plea 70
. Or. McNaughton,
!, He's not an American said Talaat
hes a Canadian"
ITS almost the same thing" I said.
We'll. replied Talaat, W I let hir
: 60, viii YOU promise that the Unite
I States will annex Canada
=, "a promise" said |. and we bot
; laughed Mt his little Joke.
"Every time YOU come here Talaa
= finally said. you always steal some
e your McNauShtonr"
: Certainly this interview was not a
Q encouraging beginning, so far az the Ar
, menians were concerned, But Talaa
O was o always in an "Ayoub Sab
& mood" He went from one emotion I
: another as lightly as n child; | woul
y find him fierce and uuyielding one da,
u and uproerously good-natured and &C
&C mmodatinE the next. Prudence ind.
Gated. therefore, that I should ava
- one OF his more conEenial moments be
fore approaching him on the suhjeC
that aroused all the harharity OF h
nature. Such an opportunity soon prs
scented itself, One day, soon after III
interview chronicled above, I called o
Talaat again, The first thins he Al
was to open his desk and pull out