The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-12-18
Turk and TeutOn
Ambassador morasnthau's story Of
Great war Flots
BY HENRY MoRGENTHAU.
Continued from Previous Issue)

One OF the best Informed men in
Turkey was Paul Weitz, the CORE
spondent Of the Frankfurter Zeitung
Weitz was more than a journalist he
had spent thirty years in Constantine
pie and mad the most intimate per
sonal knowledge Of Turkish affairs,
and he was the c0nfidant aud adviser
Of the German embassy. His duties
there were actually diplomatic.
WeitZ had really been one Of the most
successful agencies in the German pen
e~tration Of Turkey. 1t was common
talk that he knew every important man
IN the Turkish empire. the best way
10 approach him, and his price, had
several talks with WeitZ about But
garia during those critical August and
early September days. lie said many
times that 1t was not at all certain
mat she would join her forces with
Germany. Yet On September WettE
came to me with Important news. The
situation had changed over night
Baron Neurath, the counsellor Of the
German embassy at ConstautinOple,
had gone to Sofia, and, AZ a result Of
his visit, an agreement had been signed
that would make Bulgaria Germany's
ally
Germany. said Weitz, had won over
A'A'hHl Va W hblhb NbllF mug WHICH NV
entente had not been able and willing
70 do, 1t had secured her the imme-
date possession Of a piece Of coveted
territory. Serbia had refused to give
bulgaria immediate possession OF
Macedonia. Turkey, on the other hand,
had now surrendered a piece Of the OF
toman empire. The o Of land in
question, II Is true, was apparently in
significant, yet it had great strategic
advantages and represented a genuine
sacrifice by Turkey. The MaritZa river,
a few miles north OF Enos. bends,
then TO the west again, Great
ing a block Of territory, with an
area Of nearly 1000 square miles, in
Guiding the important cities Of Demo
ttca, Kara -Agatch, and half of Adrian
ople. What makes this land particular
~ important IL that 1t contains about
fifty miles Of the railroad runs from
DedeagatCh to Sofia, All this railroad,
that IS, except this fifty miles, IL aid
in Bulgarian territory; this short strip,
garia's communications with the Medi-
l%erranean. Naturally Bulgaria yearned
for this piece OF land; and Turkey
now handed i over to her. This
Cession changed the whole Balkan stu
alton and 1t made Bulgaria an ally OF
Turkey and the central powers. Be
sides the railroad, Bulgaria obtained
that part Of Adrianople which lay west
OF the Martha river. In addition, Of
course, Bulgaria was to receive Mace
donia, as soon as that province could
be occupied by Bulgaria and her allies.
wildly remember the eXultation Of
Weitz when this agreement was signed,
IT'S all settled" he told me. "Bul-
garia has decided to join us, 1t was all
arranged last night at Sofia
The Turks also were greatly relieved.
For the first time they saw the way
| ONT of their TD1hlp Tho RnlUn ria n
arrangement, Enver told me. had taken
a tremendous weight off their minds.
We. Turks are entitled to the
credit he said, "of bringing Bulgaria
In on the side Of the central powers.
She would never have come to our as
s%istance II we hadn't given her that
slice Of land. BY surrenderlng it i'm
medtately and not waiting till the end
OF the war, we showed our good faith,
1t was very hard for us to do it, OF
course. especially to give up part of the
city of Adrianople, but it was worth
the price. We really surrendered this
territory In exchange for Constantine
pie, for IL Bulgaria had not come in on
our side, we would have lost this city.
Just think how enormously we have
improved u position. We have had
to keep more than 200, 600 men at the
Bulgarian frontier, to protect us
against any possible attack from that
quarter, We can now transfer all these
troops to the Gallipoll peninsula, and
thus make II absolutely impossible that
the allies expedition can succeed. We
are also greatly hampered at the Oar
danelles by the lack of ammunition,
But Bulgaria, Austria and Germany are
to make a Joint attack on Serbia and
Will completely control that country
In a few weeks. So we shall have a
direct railroad line from C~onstantinople
into Austria and Germany and can get
all the war supplies which we need.
With Bulgaria on our sid no attack
can be made on Co%nstantinople from
the north-we have created an imnreg-
nable bulwark against Russia. | do not
deny hat the situation has caused us
great anxiety. We were afraid that
Greece and Bulgaria would join hands,
and that would also bring In Rumania.
Then Turkey would have been lost,
Of pincers. But now we have only one
task before us, that Is to drive the
English and French at the DardanelleS
into the sea. with all the soldiers and
all the ammunition which we need, we
| shall do this in a very short time. We
gave up a small area because we saw
that that was the way to win the
war"
The outcome justified Enver's proph-
eCies In almost every detail. Three
months after Bulgaria accepted the
Adrlanople bride, the entente admitted
defeat and withdrew its forces from the
Dardanelles and with this withdrawal
Russia, which was the greatest poten-
tial source Of strength to the allied
cause and the country which, properly
organized and supplied, might have
brought the allies a speedy triumph,
disappeared as Il vital factor in the
war. when the British and French
withdrew from Gallipoli that action
turned adrift this huge hulk OF II
country to founder to anarchy, dissolu-
ton and ruin.
The Germans celebrated this great
triumph in a way that VAS character
i~stically Teutonic. In their minds,
January II, 1916, stands out as one Of
he big dates In the war. There was
great rejoicing in Constantinople, for
the first Balkan expression, as the
Germans called It. the Balkan2ug-was
due to arrive that afternoon! The rail
road station was decorated with flags
and flowers, and the whole German and
Austrian population Of Constanttnople,
including the embassy stats, assem-
hlcd 20 welcome the incoming train,
As It finally rolled into the station,
thousands Of "hoChs' went up from as
many rauCous threats.
since that January II, 1916, the Raj
kauZug has run regularly from Rerlin
to Constantinople. The Germans he.
licve that It is as permanent q feature
Of the new GormantC empire as tht