The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-08-20
TURKS WANT PEACE
AND INDEPENDENCE
Says Halide Hanum, Woman Novelist
and National Leader, and Are
Willing to Fight Forever For it.

ANGoRA, Turkey, Aug. to.-Dress-
ed in black riding suit and astride
an Arab mare, Halide Hanum, the
Turkish woman novelist and national
list leader greeted the Associated Press
correspondent by the roadside outside
of Angora, waving her hand in recog-
milton as the automobile approached
after crossing innumerable mountains
and rivers from Ineboli. the contraband
port on the Black Sea.
Halide invited the correspondent to
her home, an Anatolian farmhouse IN
nearby gorge. She said she had ridden
horseback frequently since she had
escaped from Constantinople in March,
1920, riding the entire distance to An
CORA on her horse.
my mind and soul are here, but
my heart is In America with my boys,
All and Hassan. in college at urbana,
Ill.," said the woman who has made
herself famous not only as novelist
but by espousing the cause headed by
Renal Pasha, who is fighting the
Greeks.
She stoke Of the war with Greeks
and of the difficulty OF making peace
with the allies.
"Time is our great and best ally"
she said. 1--WE want peace and we are
willing to fight forever for 1t. It IS
costly for us, but 1t is the only way.
We must have our independence, po-
litical, geographic and economic"
The correspondent reminded her that
these were vague terms used by the
since the Turkish arnis-
tice.
1T may seem monotonous. but we
keep right on saying and thinking the
same things she replied. When we
first said them we were ridiculed by
some OF our own people. while the al
lies went on violating the armistice
terms. we have made progress dur
ing the past two years, and finally we
will win. Haven't the allies got enough
out of us by taking Mesopotamia and
Syria? AS for the Greeks, after they
have spent all their money and In
debted their nation to keep UP a large
army, they will be obliged to return
home.
AFTER we have disposed of the
Greeks. then the allies will have to
drop the capitulations, which original
" were privileges extended to foreign
subjects centuries ago by US so we
have to interfere in their af-
fairs. Gradually the foreign nations
have made Of these capitulations an
on our sovereignty
II understand the allies have about
abandoned their pretensions to zones
Of influentie. Anyway, we won't have
them, as such zones mean infringe
ment on our political liberty. In such
zones the allies would exploit US, not |
bringing us economic help. The allies
are ruined and need TO spend their
money at home. 1t is better business
for us to have free trade competition,
giving the Americans, the Swiss, or
ANYBODY, a fair chance to trade with
Us.
1--WE can't give up Constantinople
That city is the elimination or our
It represents our art, our
beauty, our culture. It is at once our
Venice and our New York.
There's a peasant fairy tale that
he devil, once upon time, finding
he peoples Of the earth at peace, call
ID a council of the under devils, when
t was decided to reform the earth SO
IS to make the straits (of Dardanelles)
Ind there pitch, in place OF rare
,eauty, the fair city today called Con-
tantinople, and that ever since nations
lave fought to possess the straits and
he city. Perhaps, with all the new
mischief there is in the world. the ma
ions may leave us to make peace
With the devil.
"The British want the control of the
straits and the city. but the worst they
IAN do is to blockade US, and we can
i've on our own food, make our
,lothes until they are tired. Why
should the British have such control?
Surely no one wants the Greeks or
he French there, either"
Regarding bolshevik relations, she
aid: I'VE do not want any military
lelp nor bolsheviki among US, or any
strangers for political reasons.
1.-THE sum total of our nationalism is
o tell the truth. and accept no middle
measures. The truth is the only thing
hat counts. We are either right or
wrong and II right we will win, and
turkey will be a free and useful ma
ION We want to live orr own way