The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-12-10
Turk and TeutOn
Continued from Previous 1ssus.)
Ambassador Mornenthau's Story OF
Great War Plots
BY HENRY MoRGENTHAu.

boH' hGIleHS uLu not uoCldTe III 50
many words that the ammunition was
practically exhausted, but Mr.. Schrein-
er discovered that such was the case.
The fact was that Fort Handle. the
most powerful defense on he Aslatic
side, had just II armor piercing shells
left, while at Kilid ul-Bahr, which was
the main defense IN the European side,
there were precisely 10.
Il should advise you to get up at 6
o'clock tomorrow morning" said Gen.
Mertens, and take to the Anatolian
hills. That's what we are going to
do"
The troops at all the Notifications
had their orders to man the guns until
the last shell had been fired and her
to abandon the forts,
Once these defenses became helpless.
the problem of the allied fleet would
have been a simple one. The only bar
to their progress would have been the
mine field, which stretched from a point
about two miles north OF Erenkeui to
Kilid- ul- Bahr. But the allied fleee had
plenty of mine sweepers, which could
have made a channel In a few hours.
North of Tchanak, as l have already
explained, there were a few guns, but
lley we're Oh the 1910 muuel, anu COuLu
not discharge projectiles that could
pierce modern armor plate. North of
Point Niagara there were only two bat
teries, and both dated from 1885! Thus,
once having silenced the outer straits,
there was nothing to bar the passage
to ConstaRtinople except the German
and Turkish warships. The Goeben was
the only first-class fighting ship in
either fleet, and it would not have
10 9faH lnna aUainaf TIM Oman EHVa-
beth. The disproportion in the strength
of the opposing fleets, indeed, was so
enormous that 1t is doubtful whether
there would aver have been an engage
ment.
Thus the allied fleet would have APP
peared before Constantinople on the
morning of the Goth. What would have
discussion as to whether this purely
naval attack was justified. Enver, in
his conversation with me, had laid
much stress on the a%bsurdity OF send
ing a fleet to Constantinople, supported
by no adequate landing force, and much
OF the criticism since passed upon the
D~ardanelles expedition has centered on
that point. Yet it Is my opinion that
this exclusively naval attack was justi-
fled. l base this judgment purely upon
the political situation which then ex-
listed in Turkey. Under ordinary cir
cumstanCes such an enterprise would
probably have been a foolish one, but
the political conditions in Constantine
pie then were not ordinary. There was
no solidly established government In
Turkey at that time. A political COM
headed by Talaat, Enver and Djemal,
controlled the central government, but
their authority throughout the empire
was exceedingly tenuous. AS a matter
of fact the whole Ottoman state, on that
18th day of March, 1915, when the al
lied fleet abandoned the attack, "a on
the brink OF dissolution. All over Tur-
key ambitious chieftains had arisen,
who were ~momentarily expecting its
fall, and who were looking for the OPP
portunity to seize their parts Of the
inheritance. AS previously described.
Djemal had already organized practi-
cally an independent government in
Syria. In Symrna Rhami Bey. the gov
e~rnor-general, had often disregarded
the authorities at the capital. In Adri-
anople Hadji Adj. one of the most
lieved TO be plotting to set up his own
government. Arabia was already prac-
tically an Independent nation, Among
the subject races the spirit of revolt
was rapidly spreading. The Greeks and
the Armenians would also have well
coined an opportunity to STRENGTHEN the
hands OF the allies. The existing flnan-
cial and industrial conditions seemed to
make revolution inevitable. Many
farmers went on strike; they had no
seeds n would not accept them as a
free gift from the government because,
they said, as soon as their crops should
be garnered the armies would immedi-
ately requisition them. AS for Con-
stantinople, the populace there and the
hast AInTaantd nFAaHr NhA TurlEa fa-
from opposing the arrival Of the allied
fleet, would have welcomed 1t with joy.
The Turks themselves were praying
that the British and French would take
their city, for this would relieve them
OF the controlling gang, emancipate
them from the hated Germans, bring
about peace and end their miseries.
No m understood this better than
Talaat. He was taking no chances on
making an expeditions retreat, in case
the allied fleet appeared before the
city. For several months the Turkish
leaders had been casting envious
~glances at a Minerva automobile that
had been reposing in the Belgian lega-
tion ever since Turkeys declaration of
war. Talaat finally obtained posses
sion Of the coveted prize. He had OBJ
tanned somewhere another automobile,
which he had loaded with extra tires,
gasoline and all the other essentials of
a protracted journey. This was evil
IDENTITY intended to accompany the more
~prctentious machine as a kind of
mother ship" Talaat stationed these
automobiles on the Asiatic side Of the
city with chauffeurs constantly at hand.
Everything was prepared to leave for
the interior Of Asia at a moments no
tice.
But the great allied armada never
returned to the attack
About a week after this momentous
defeat l happened to drop in at the
German embassy. Wangenheim had a
distinguished visitor, whom he asked
office and there was Won der Goltz
Pasha, recently returned from Bel
gium, where he had served as gov
ernor. | must admit that, meeting
Goltz thus informally, I had difficulty
in reconciling his personality with all
the stories that were then coming out
OF Belgium, That morning this mild
hammered, specialized gentleman seemed
sufficiently quiet and harmless. Nor
did he look his age--he was then about
"a; his hair was only streaked with
gray, and his face was almost UNI
wrtnkled: ! should not have taken him
for more than 65. The austerity and
hrusqueness and ponderous dignity
which are assumed by most highly
placed Germans were nOt apparent, Ills
voice was deep, musical and pleasing
and his manners were altogether
friendly and ingratiating, The only
evidence Of pomp in his bearing was
his uniform; he was dressed as a
field marshal, his chest blazing with
decorations and gold braid, Won der
Goltz explained and half apologized for
his regatta by saying that he just re-
turned from an audience with the sui
tan. He had come to Constantinople
to present his majesty a medal from
the kaiser and IA taking back to Ber-
lin n similar mark of consideration from
the sultan to the kaiser, besides an
IMPERIAL present Of 10000 cigarets.
The three OF us sat there for some
time, drinking coffee, eating German
cakes and smoking German cigars.
did not do much Of the talking, but
the conversation Of Won der Goltz and
W~angcnheim seemed to me to shed
much light upon the German mind
and especially on the trustworthinesS
Of German military reports. The as
pect OF the Dardanelles fight that in
terested them most at that time was
England's complete f~rsnkness in pub
fishing her losses. That the British
government should issue an officia
statement. saying that three ships had
been sunk and that four others had
been badly damaged. struck them as
most remarkable. In this announce,