The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-04-30
NEEDS OF NEAR EAST
DR. Finley's Story of Visit to the Holy
Land and Need of American
Aid


cent visit to the Holy Land and Other
parts of the Near East, pointed on
that American aid in the rehabilita
ton of these war-stricken regions wa!
needed more than ever. By July l
he said, the American Red Cross
would have turned over the bulk o.
its relief work in the Near East tt
permanent relief organizations, such
as the American Committee for Relief
in the Near East.
DR.. Finley visited the Near East
twice during the last year to make
plans for the relief of the people who
for centuries have suffered under
Turkish rule, and who were rescued
only last year through the British con-
quest of Jerusalem. He began his
second visit early in January, return
ing to the United States on April H.
Sporadic massacres of Armenians
by the Turks continue to be reported
to the authorities now in control in
Palestine said DR.. Finley, "and dur
ing my brief visit l learned of one
massacre in which rs persons were
killed and perhaps 100 wounded by
the Turks. Unquestionably a vast
amount of work of relief remains to
be done. For example, one-third of
the people in the Lebanon region died
of starvation, and when | reached
Aintab, north of Aleppo found the
Armenian quarter a mass of ruins,
and that where 10000 Armenians had
lived before the war, 10000 had been
deported by the Turks, and of that
number only from 1000 to 5000 re-
main alive.
81 was first in the East during the
great British drive" said DR.. Finley,
"and when | returned the armistice
had been signed and the English were
retiring. l followed the Britishers
northward from Palestine and picked
up a number of Red Cross people
from Egypt. At Port Said there is
large camp of Armenian refugees,
who are living in tents. The site was
selected because there is. more food
at Port Said and elsewha'e in the re-
gion just now.
went with the British troops as
far north as Aleppo and then crossed
the Euphrates and proceeded on my
way. The Bagdad railroad to Cons
tantinople is policed all the way by
British and French soldiers, the
French army including about 5000
Armenians. Red Cross relief stations
were established at Damascus and
Aleppo. wanted to go to Urfah,
where Abraham is said to have been
born, but the British authorities
would not permit it both because they
did not consider it safe and because
they thought that Turkish revenge
might fall upon any Armenians who
might be seen talking with for
eigner.
"At Aintab l learned that DR..
James L. Barton, head of the Ameri
can Committee for Relief in the Near
East, was in Constantinople and de-
sired a conference with me. started
toward him, a journey of 700 miles.
was the first American to make the
trip through the mountains since the
signing of the armistice. The rail
road from Aleppo to Constantinople
is entirely completed and its roadbed
is in first-class condition.
81 did not remain long enough in
Constantinople to study conditions
there because found that the Barton
expedition was starting back and it
was my object to coordinate our
work with his.
"The' Barton expedition had equip
ment for Is hospitals, great quanti-
ties of supplies, and number of
workers. found, however,
that there was need of a firm hand in
Constantinople The British author
tiles agreed to take over the hospital
work of the Red Cross, and the Am
erican Committee, in addition, will
supply both medical care and the
country's material needs"
DIR. Finley denied a report that the
American Red Cross was abandoning
the work of the relief in the Near
East to other agencies because of Mo-
hammedan antipathy for the Christian
of the Red Cross. He said
the Red Cross had received the cor
dial cooperation of the Mohammedan
White Crescent, relief organization.
1--WE received letter from General
Allenby, who told us that the work
of the Red Cross in Palestine had
been invaluable, and asking if it
could not be continued" DR.. Finley
went on, "and as 1 was leaving, the
Patriarch of the Greek church in
Jerusalem, the head of the Moslem
the head of the Armenian
church, the Catholic Cardinal, and DR..
Rosenau, representing the zionists,
called to express their gratitude to
the American Red Cross"
ARMY REGISTER