Omaha daily bee., 1919-11-01
A Near Eastern Report
From the New York Times.

General Harbord's mission which has been
touring Armenia and adjacent countries and
'the primary object OF which," according to dis
patches, was to demonstrate to the native
populations the interest the United States takes
in Armenia" has returned to Constantinople
and expressed opinions which would indicate
to "the native populations" particularly to the
Turks, that we take no interest in Armenia at
all. The formal report isyet to be made and
General Harboard himself has said nothing;
but the collection of views reported by CORE
spondent of The Associated Press would leave
small hope for the Armenans.
Military members Of the mission seem to
think that it would be easy enough to keep
mandate authorizing US to take whatever meas
ures might be required; but we are likely to
have our hands full in Mexico they argue, and
should not be distracted by Oriental side
shows" This Is a serious consideration, but to
be properly judged only by weighing the likeli-
influence on American foreign policy OF an
Armenia still in the hands Of the Turk. 1t
might be supposed that Armenia has nothing
to do with our foreign interests, but all the
Christian nations may yet have very strong
interest in preventing Turkish power from re-
viving. This, of course, leaves out moral COM
siderations; their place in foreign policy when
opposed by considerations of expediency, is
debatable, but Armenia has made peculiarly
strong moral appeal to American sympathy.
Other members of the commission say that
our real interests lie in the far east, and that
the disposal of the ruins of the Turkish empire
is European problem Two members of the
commission, at least are specialists on far east
ern affairs, and might naturally be expected to
regard their own field as more important than
any other. Beyond question, our interest in
problems of the Pacific and China is at the
moment considerably more urgent than in the
affairs of Anatoa and Armenia; but a broad
view is necessary in foreign affairs. We came
late enough to a realization that Germany
which had overthrown the rest OF Europe would
have been menace to our own safety; it is
easy but not altogether safe, to suppose that
hereafter Europe is none of our business. Get
ting rid Of the Turk may conceivably become
a matter of great interest to us at some future
date, il 1t is not done now when the oppor-
tunity Is better than it has ever been before.
Mustapha Renal and his kind will be ready
allies if Germany does try to recover by war
what she lost
True, the Turkish problem is primarily the
affair of Europe, but Europe seems unable or
unwilling to master it. If we stay out. Euro
pean jealouses are likely to keep the Turk In
Constantnople, and the Turk in Constantnople:
will be a standing menace to the peace OF
Europe in more ways than one. Perhaps we
can afford to show no interest in the peace of
Europe, but men who reflect on the lessons of
the past FIVE years are not likely to think 50.
Finally, civilian members of the commission
favor a mandate, but a unitary mandate for
Turkey. The objections to this, moral and
political, are 50 we'll known that there is no
point in going over them again. Of more in
terest are the arguments adduced for it, argu-
ments which we may suppose the commission
borrowed from men on the ground. THE Ar
menians are 50 few and their territory is SO
small that they would have no chance alone"
This depends to some extent on the still ur-
certain delimitation of the boundaries of Ar
menia; the Armenians themselves say that the
Turkish and Kurd population in Armenia has
been overestimated, and that with the moral
force Of mandatory behind it, comparatively
small army of Armenians could keep order.
This is certainly borne out by the experience
of Greece and Bulgaria with their Turkish sub
jects Moreover, unless America takes man
date for all of Turkey ut will mean partition
Of Turkey proper along the lines already be-
gun, with constant disputes over frontiers be-
tween Great Britain, France Italy and Greece,
and without any real development OF the regions
involved" Greece asks for the Turkish terri
tories inhabited by Greeks; to suppose that the
Greeks under self-governnlent will develop them
less than they did when hampered by Turkish
rule is to discard most OF the evidence of Greek
history; The. present condition of Egypt, Alge-
ria and Tunis together with what work the
Italians have begun in Libya and Albania, offers
no reason for encouragement with the posi-
bilities of development under British, French
and Italian suzerainty Behind these somewhat
tenuous arguments it is possible to suspect
others which we're not presented to the mission,
perhaps, but were the real motives of certain
Europeans or Americans interested in unitary
mandate; and some of these arguments would,
perhaps command very little support if they
were dragged into the light.