New-York tribune., 1920-07-01
Britain and Greece
By Frank H. Simonds

The decision of the British to sup
port Greek activity in the Near East
and, in fact, to rely upon Greek mill
tary strength to suppress the Turkish
natlonalistic efforts in Asia Minor, is
one of the most interesting develop
ments of recent months. 1t is, too,
one more evidence of the rapid changes
which are now taking place in political
associations.
Both for the French and the Ital-
lans this new British policy will be
unwelcome. For the French it means
direct answer to their own ma
neuvers TO obtain a revision of the
Turkish settlement, and such re-
vision as would leave the Turks with
their power still considerable. For
the Italians it means British support
for that nation which, in the nature
of things, must be the chief Italian
rival in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Greater Greece
For the Greeks British patronage
now has an inestimable value. Greece
has just added greatly to her stature
as a nation. At the moment when the
First Balkan War broke Greece had q
population Of 100000 and an area of
approximately 25,000 square miles, a
little more than half that of New
York State. BY the two Balkan wars
she doubled her population and very
nearly doubled her area The World
War has added more than 2,5OO,0OO
more people, and to-day. the Hellenic
kingdom, with its new acquisitions In
Thrace, in Asia Minor, in Epirus and
in the Hgean-for northern Epirus
and the D0dccanesus Islands have been
assigned to her-must be nearly two
thirds as large as Italy and have a
population of upward of 5000, 600
But this is only the beginning for
the Greeks. Their ambition is to re-
occupy Constantirople and to revive
in Asia Minor the glories of the Byzan-
tine Empire. Venizelos, with his usual
moderation in pressing Greek claims,
both at Constantinople and in Asia
Minor, but he has laid the foundation
on which the great structure of the
future can be built If Greece can
now make good her foothold at SMYRNA
and fortify her possessions in Eprus
and Thrace, she can look forward con.
fidently to still another great expan-
sion in the future
Provided the Greeks obtain a certain
fairly modest measure Of support from
their British friends, ,<ft should not be
difficult for them to meet and check
any Turkish effort to reconuuer the
Egcan littoral, which the recent Turk
ish settlement has, with certain plebis-
cite conditions, assigned to Venizclos.
And II the Greeks are able once to
make good their hold upon Smyrna
and its immediate hinterland, thon
there is little reason to doubt that
slowly but surely they will advance in
land along the railways which lead
eastward from the .Egean coast.
Dangers She Faces
Grecce's chief dangers remain in Eu-
rope. She has still to gain possession
of northern Epirus, although Nitti,
with a stroke of real craftsmanship
sought to placate the Greeks by full
recognition Of their rightful claims
in that quarter. Whether Giolitti will
be equally friendly remains problemat-
ical But even if Italy consent, Hsally
to Greek occupation of Epirus, it will
now be necessary to deal with the Al
banians, who have lately risen and
driven the Italians 20 the coast. Greece
will therefore need troops In Epirus,
as we'll as in Asia Minor.
Even graver is the situation in