Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-04-25
WEAKNESS OF ALLIES
SHOWN AT SAN RENO
Now Shaky Partnership, Devoting At
tention to Restoring Sultan, Mr.: Simonds
Explains-Review of Conference.

| Damascus. Moreover. Arab unrest in
Mesopotamia has instant reaction in
Egypt.
AS for the proposal that the United
States should undertake a species of
protectorate for Armenia. this is no
more nor less than clever Lloyd
George device. George is seeking
to counter on President Wilson.
the Adriatic settlement and of the
Turkish arrangement upset dearly
bought arrangements. Now, in effect.
George produces proposal which
amounts to demand. that the United
States put up or shut up"
In all probability we shall shut
up" since to put up" is now i'm
possible because the situation in
Asiatic Turkey has become well nigh
hopeless. Turkey has, in truth. es-
All but the outside rim-the sea-
consists now in the power of Kemal
| who can mass considerable forces in
areas which are admirably suited to
defensive warfare. To get rid of
| him. even in Armenia. would mean
| rary success would hardly change the
existing conditions. For the Turk
would come back If he were not
watched by armies.
dealing with the eastern question.
quite as much as in the matters
of Germany and Russia, the supreme
| council has completely failed. 1t has
solved nothing; it has settled moth
ing. Once more the British have dis
closed that traditional skill in diplo-
matte negotiations which has for an
other time gained for them the real
prizes of game: Constantinople and
Bagdad. the control of the Bosporus
and the mastery Of the valleys of
the Euphrates and of the Tigris.
Rtlf the British have
been the only gamers, aside from
the Turk, who will keep much-keep
1T on his own terms and remain the
source Of endless complications and
not impossibly the occasion of new
wars. AS for the French and the
Italians. they acquire restricted ter
ritories which will cost them dearly
to hold. Still Italian policy has been
brought into harmony with British
because the Italians are ready to ac-
cept British hegemony of the Medi-
terranean and seek modest profits out
of a situation which they cannot con-
troll.
What San Reno Has Done.
So far the San Reno conference
has done no more than establish the
fact of British supremacy in the Med
|iterranean, vindicate the British
claims in advance, to settle the Medi-
terranean situation as suited Brit
lSn interests. pOAlllCdl dHu SO"hicI-
cial But this development has only
embittered Anglo-French relations.
because the French see the British
sending troops to occupy Constan-
tinople as a detail in assuring Brit
ish security in the near east. but en-
counter British opposition when
French troops are employed at Frank
fort to defend French security.
In all this chaos the United States
cannot afford to mix. The settle
ment which has been sketched at San
Reno is no settlement; the sugges-
ton made to the United States to take
over Armenian responsibilities might
be compared to the proposal that
a rich bank accept the task of re-
organizing a railway line, bankrupt
in it's entirety, from which all the
subsidiary lines and portion OF the
main line, in word. all the frac-
tons which could conceivably be
made to pay operating expenses. had
been separated. And in the near
east, to use the same figure. the
British have acquired both terminals.
American appearance in the near
east is a doubtful policy. at best. but
under existing circumstances there
can be no thought of such course.
It is not that America would desire
to condition participation in near
eastern affairs upon the promise OF
possible profit. but the situation Gre
ated at San Reno insures not alone
vast expenditure in life and money,
Int the homeless waste Of both.