New-York tribune., 1920-05-27
The Armenian Mandate
By Frc7k II. Sin1onds

-
that the United States accept the Ar
menian mandate should surprise no one
familiar with the course pursued by
him at the Paris Conference. At that
time both the President and Colonel
House again and again expressed the
belief that the United States would take
mandates both for Constantinople and
for Armenia, and there was discussion
of the possibility that America might
take over the responsibility for all of
the Turkish Empire outside of the
Arabian districts, which had been di-
vided in advance by Britain and France.
The long delays in the solution of the
Near Eastern problems which have
persisted for more than year are to
be traced directly to the general expec-
tation in Europe that the United States
would, in some measure, become a
partner IN the enterprise of reorganiz-
ing the Near East Postponement after
postponement Of all decision has
marked the continuing hope on the
other side Of the Atlantic that the Pres
ldent might presently surmount his
domestic difficulties and find himself
IN position to carry out his program
as outlined in Paris year ago.
Country in Turmoil
Unhappily, while decisions have been
postponed conditions in Asia Minor
have marched from bad to worse. If
British troops have occupied Constanti-
nople, Greek troops Smyrna and French
some portion Of the Syrian littoral,
Turkish leaders in the hinterland of
Anatolia have broken away from Con-
stantinople authority and Allied con-
troll and have proceeded to organize
armies and prepare to resist any Chris
tan Intervention, whether in Armenia
or IN Anatolia. In point Of fact the
ffench IN Cilicia are already retreat
ing before Turkish attack, while the
Greek forces about Smyrna are at least
threatened with serious offensives.
AS for Armenia itself, it exists large
~ IN official documents, for Erzerum
and the highlands about Van and Bitlis
are actually in Turkish hands, while as
the Turkish rebels push eastward the
Russian revolutionists continue to ad-
vance southwestward, and between the
two millstones Armenia is being ground
up. Tn point of fxct, in all the vast
region bounded chiefly by the Caspian,
Black, Mediterranean and 4Egean seas,
together with the Arabian Desert, there
is now only turmoil, massacre, anarchy.
Boundaries Not Fixed
In permitting President Wilson to
draw the boundaries of the new Arme-
MA. the European nations have done no
more than to leave to America the
privilege of deciding how large a respon-
sibillty she is willing to accept Thus
the President may decide that Armenia
shall consist merely of the area de-
scribed as Armenia Major, roughly
speaking, including the Russian Arme-
MIA regions and the Turkish districts of
Erzerum, Van and Bitlis, with or with
out the Trebzond coast, or he may de-
eide that it shall include both his Ar
menia Major which I have indicated
above and Armenia Minor as we'll. If
the latter be included then the state
will extend southwestward to the Medi-
terranean at the Gulf Of Alexandretta,
including that Cilica where Franco
turkish fighting is now in progress.
But the latter state would in reality
include vast regions in which the Arme-
man population, mainly because of sys-
tematic massacres, is now in great
Moreover, the task of polio
ing, of organizing, of administering the
larger area, would be one of at least
twice the magnitude of similar effort
in the smaller territory. Moreover,