New-York tribune., 1919-09-01
America i'm the Near East

Before leaving Paris for the second
time President Wilson appointed Charles
R. Crane and D. r. King special COM.
mission to investigate political conditions
in the non-Turkish regions of Turkey
and to report on the desirabilty Of
American administration of those re-
gions under a mandate from the peace
conference. 1t had been intended at first
to send an inter-Alled commission, rep
resenting France and Great Britain as
we'll as the United States But the
French COVER nent withdrew from the
project because it seemed to compromise
French claims in northern Syria. Great
Britain, which has an agreement with
France for the disposition of these parts
of the Turkish Empire. then followed the
French example.
The Crane King commission has re-
turned to Paris after spending two
E.cnths or more in the Near East Its
report, portions Of which have been dis
closed, contains some startiingly radical
recommendations. 1t is said to favor
American mandates for Armenia, Syria
to the commissioners, the people Of these
sections grave" distrust the intentions
of France and Great Britain and prefer
the United States as mandatory.
President Wilson has more than once
indicated desire to accept mandate
for Armenia. american opinion has
leaned toward going to the rescue Of the
Armcnians Ineir tragic situation has
appealed TO our sympathy. They are a
remnant of d Christian nation, almost
extermnated by Turkish savagery They
are surrounded by enemies, and must
perish, if left II themselves. In the old
Turkish Armenia they are minority.
But an Armenian state could be consti-
tut by anneXing the Armenian survt-
vors in Turkey o.the Armenian republic
erected in the Caucasus out of former
Russian territory which was transferred
to Turkey by the Treaty of Brest-
Litovsk. Despite our general reluctance
to become entangled in European and
Asiatic territorial adjustments Congress
might be induced to respond to call of
distress from the Armenians.
But the assumption Of mandatory
duties toward the Arab portions of Tur-
key in Asia would lead to nothing but
trouble. We have no interest whatever
in Mesopotamia, which seems destined to
become an outpost of the British Empire
The British conquered the Tigris Valley
and will want to hold on to it, France and
Great Britain also have important inter-
ests in Syria, including Palestine. From
their point Of view we should be unwel-
come intruders in this area And we
have no claims Of any kind in the parti-
tion of Turkey, since we refused to go to
war with the Turks, and are merely ad-
mitted on sufferance to the peace nego-
tiations between Turkey and the powers
which defeated her.
The American commission, moreover,
seems to have accepted the view of the
Syrian National Society, with headquar-
ters in this country, that Syria, as a
political and geographical unit, includes
Palestine. That view is sustained by the
geographers and historians But the
Allied powers have been treating Pales-
tlNo all dlOuS dS q separate entity ana
have pledged themselves to establish in
the Holy Land a protected or interna-
tionahzed Jewish state The Syrian ma
tonalists are violently opposed to this
programme, since, according to their
contention the Jews now in Palestine do
not constitute a majority of the popula
Y ton. On the basis of self determination
the Syrians claim the right to organize g
completely united Syria, in which there
would be no place for realization OF
the dreams of Zionisnl.
Here is a quarrel in which the United
States would be i'll advised to mix. Gu,
efforts at mandatory supervision in the
Near East would be we'll intentioned
But we are strangers to the political anc
racial complications there, and could not
escape being drawn into controversies
highly distasteful to us. SO far as we
are concerned, the Near East is even re
moter than the Far East. A trusteesh}
in that region might be charged with the
purest altruism. Yet it would hardly
bring us anything but WEAKNESS and dis
appointment.