Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-06-29

under international control, while the
balance Of Turkey in Europe was to DO
assigned to Greece.
Unfortunately for the plan, the United
States soon indicated an unwillingncss to
undertake their part of the task. The
Greeks occupied Smyrna, but the Italians
instantly became aggrievcd and claimed
an invasion of their sphere of influence
As result they declined to contribute
troops to assist in the conquest OF turkey.
Meantime the French and British con-
tnued to quarrel. The French saw their
sphere steadily reduced and presently
were called upon to witness the practical
seizure of Constantmople by the British,
which was accompanied by new British
activities on the Black Sea Coast and IN
Persia. ;,
In this situation the French encountered
the resistance of the Arabs back OF Beirut,
and of the Turks IN the region about
Adana. 1t became clear that to establish
French claims large army and real war
would be necessary. Moreover, 1t was not
less clear that the French share IN the
spoils of Turkey would be far less than
the British. In a word the French felt
that the British had laid hold of the lions
share of the Turks estate, and what re-
mained was not worth the price OF new
war. :.
France, therefore, changed policy and
tended toward the Italian view, which
favored the abandonment of any attempt
to partition Turkey and the substitution Oh
a plan of more or less concealed pro-
tectorate over Turkey by the Great
Powers. This would mean the scrapphg
of the treaty already drafted, the restora-
tion of something approximatng the con-
dition of 1914, that is, in Asia Minor ~
would mean the preservation OF lurkey
once more, for precisely, the same reason
| Turkey has been saved so often IN the
pase, namely that the Great POWERS oouiu
! not agree upon a division.
The French view has produced crisis.
| Turkish nationalists are in arms and their
| forces dominate most of Asia Minor ana
/ are pushing up to the Aslatic shore OF the
| BosphorlIs, facing Constantlnople, where
| the British are still masters. The French
| and Turks have agreed to an armistice
north of the Gulf of Alexandretta, where
| there has been fighting. The Greeks have
| to expect new attack back OF Smyrna at
/ any moment. The Italians are out OF the
situation. Thus the whole question comes
| souarely up to the British.
| So far as one can see the British must
either decide to undertake a new and con-
| siderable war against the Turks, wnicn
means not impossibly fighting the Rus
slams as well, or they must abandon tneir
present hold upon many Turkish regions
perhaps upon Arabian Bagdad. The whole
settlement of the Eastern question goes
INTO the melting pot and India and Egypt
are again exposed to obvious perils; Ano
in the existing situation IN the united
| Kingdom a new war, which involves o
fresh appeal to CONSUMPTION, gwen thu
enormous drain upon British regular
troops resulting from the1rish disturbances
is bound to bring domestic political Crisis
In the struggl between diplomacies u
the Near East the British, as usual, LEFT
all others far behind, but they were s.
completely successful as TO deprive boti
he French and be Italians of any furthe
incen I'VE to stay in the game, whii
Anerica obstinately refused to take cards
Thus the result up TO date has been almos
disaster for British interests IN tn
eastern end OF the Mediterranean. Bu
1t is well TO recall that the game is by NJ
means over vet, and the best brains re
main with the British