The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-01-10
Turk and TeutOn
Ambassador Moraenthau's Story Of
Great War Flots
BY HENRY MoRGENTHAU,
CONTINUED from previous issue.)

EnVer Again Moves for Peace-Fa rewel
to the Sultan and to Turkey.
NY failure to prevent the destruc-
ton Of the Armenlans had made Tur-
key for me a place Of horror, and !
found intolerable my further daily as
soclation with men who, however gra-
ciOus and accommodating and good
natured they might have been to the
American ambassador. were still reek-
ing with the blood of nearly a million
human beings. Could ! have done any
thing more, either for Americans, enc
my aliens or the prosecuted peoples
of the empire, | would willingly have
stayed. The position of Americans and
Europeans, however, had now become
secure and, so far as the subject peo-
pies were concerned, l had reached the
end OF my resources. Moreover. an
event was approaching in the United
States which, / believed, would iney-
itably have the greatest influence upon
the future Of the world and of demoC-
raCy-the presidential campaign, | felt
that there was nothing so important
in international politics as the r%e-elec-
ton of President Wilson. | could i'm
agine no greater calamity, for the
United States and the world, than that
the American nation should fail to in
dorse heartily this great statesman. If
| could substantially assist in Mr.. VIII
sons reelection, l concluded that |
was certainly wasting valuable time
IN this reMote part of the world.
] had another practical reason for
returning home. and that was to give
the president and the state depart
ment, by word, of mouth, such first
hand information as | possessed on the
European situation. 1t was especially
important to give them the latest side
lights on the subject of peace, In the
after part Of 1915 and the early part
Of. 1916 this was the uppermost topic
in Constantinople. Enver Pasfa was
constantly asking me to intercede with
the president to end the war. Several
war-weary and that its salvation de-
pended on getting an early peace. |
have already described the conditions
that prevailed a few months after the
outbreak Of the war, but, by the end
Of 1915, they were infinitely worse.
When Turkey decided on the deporta-
ton and massacre of her subject peo-
pies, especially the Armenians and
Greeks, she had signed her own eco
nomic death warrant. These were the
people, as | have already said, who,
controlled her industries and her
finance and developed her agriculture,
and the material consequences Of this
great national crime now began to be
everywhere apparent. The farms were
lying uncultivated and thousands of
peasants were daily dying of starvation.
AS the Armenians and Greeks were the
largest taxpayers, their humiliation
greatly reduced the state revenues, and
the fact that practically all Turkish
ports were blockaded had shut off Gus
toms collections. . The mere statement
that Turkey was barely taking in
money enough to pay the interest on
her debt, to say nothing of ordinary
expenses and war expenses, gives a
fair idea OF her advanced degree of
bankruptcy, In these facts Turkey had
abundant reasons for desiring a speedy
peace. Besides this, Enver and the
ruling party feared a revolution unless
the war quickly came to an end. As
wrote the state department about
this time, these men are willing to
do almost anything to retain their
still | did not take Enver's impor-
tunities for peace any too seriously.
Are you speaking for yourself and
your party in this matter" l asked
him, 'or do you really speak for Ger
many also? / can not submit a propo-
sition from you unless the Germans
are back of you, Have you consulted
them about this"
how %NG 9bev E iesir replied but I know
That is not sufficient" I answered.
You had better communicate with
them directly through the German en-
bassy, | would not be willing to sub
NIT a proposition that was not Endorsed
by all the Teutonic allies"
Enver replied that he did not think
It worth while to discuss the matter
with the German ambassador. He said.
however, that he vas just leaving for
Ossova, a town on the Bulgarian and
Rumanian frontier, where he was tb'
have a conference with Falkenhayn, at
that time the German chief of staff.
Falkenhayn, said Enver, was the i'm
portant man; he would take up the
question of peace with him.
why do you think that it is a good
time to discuss peace now" I asked.
Because in two weeks we shall have
completely annihilated Serbia. We
think that will put the allies in a frame
OF mind to discuss peace. My visit to
Falkenhayn is to complete arrangements
for the invasion of Egypt. In IA very
few days we expect Greece to join us.
We are already preparing Aons Of pro-
visions and fodder to send to Greece.
| And when we get Greece, of course
Rumania will come in. When the
Greeks and Rumanions Join us we shall
have q million fresh troops. We shall
get all the guns and ammunition we
need from Germany as soon as the
direct railroad is opened All these
| things make it an excellent time for
us to take up the matter of peace"
| asked the minister of war to talk
tne matter over win t|aikennayn IN
his proposed interview, and report to
me when he returned. In some way
this conversation came to the ears of
the new German ambassador, Graf
| Wolf Metternich, who Immediately call
| ed to discuss the subject. He apparent
ly wished to impress upon me two
| things; that Germany would never sur
| render AlsaCc-L Lorraine and that she
would insist on the return of all her
colonies. ] replied that 1t was APP
parently useless to discuss peace un-
less England first won some great mill
tary victory.
''TNat may be So replied the Graf,