Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-01-29
SAYS AMERICA WAS
'COWARDLY IN EAST
Feared to Save Armenia. De-
cIares Speaker at Peace
Conference Forum
BoLSHEWSyS TOOK JOB

- - n
President Wilson is undoubtcdIH
right in referring the who'c Armenian
back to the League OF Nations
on the ground that il is an ins'pnr
able part of tn" Russian problem, az
cording to Or. William T.. Wcstrrmann'
who was the speaker last night at tn"
eighth meeting Of the Public LEDGER .
forum on the peace conference Dr'
Wcstcrmnnn. who is now professor NJ
modern European history at Cornell,
was chief Of the Near East division OF
tho American Teac" Commission
"prcsidcnt Wilson is undoubt"d,i
right" he said. 'Thcro is no qu"S'
tion that IL Russia had strong gov
crnmpnt. Armenia would be the '.d'u"nI
yphcrc Of protection for hrr. Armenia
will always be the southern outlet for
Russia.
obIo ,n nrotec. tho Armcnians. Let
us be honest about il. Bolshcvist Rus
sia has done the things that we refused
to do. II has gone in and saved m"
Armcniana. " said TO the Turk,
You've got 10 leave these p""p."
alone.
"IIad tho old Russia not broken
down. We should never have been con .
suited nor have had a chance to dent
with II. II is Russian problem ami
there is nobody to oppose Russia thcr"
now.
"Thc Armpnans arc not BolshoviS'>.
The Armcnians. as well as the Turks
have nothing in common with the HoI-
shpvists. OF all the peoples Of tho
world, they are tho most individuals.
tic and arc. therefore. not holshcvisti",
"Directlv the United states Is r"-
sponsibr for tho present plight Of Tia"
Armcnians. by default Of service.
AN essential weakness Of our posi-
ton in all Near. Eastern affair was that
wc had not declared war upon Turkey.
Hence we could not. in the period Of tho
armisticc. send troops into Turkish Ar
mrnia when such action might have
saved many thousands Of people from
starvation.
"NOt having declared war upon Tur-
key. We were always. during tho p"riol
Of discussion. outsiders. impotcut tu
affect the actual course of the ncg0tia
tiOns or put our own stamp upon 'hc
decisions taken.
America Was "COwardly'
"Evon' 50. We. the people Of the
United States. might have suvcd the
Armcnians had We been willing to nc
ccpt a mandate. preferably for all the
northern part of the Turkish empire.
but at least for the Armenian portion.
We may justify ourselves az we WILL
The mandate for Armenia was offered
us and we refused to accept its 0bliga
tIOnS and the undOubted troubles which
their acceptance would have pntAilcd.
1--WE feared foreign cntangIcmcntS.
That fear was justified. But it is fear
The policy Of no cntanglng alliance,
advocated by the founders of our gov.
eminent was based upon a caution
which served we'll the period Of our
immaturity and undcvcloped union anc
strength.
we were asked to assist in the es
tabliShmcnt of a new international pol.
Icy in tn" control of und"vclOped pcO
pies under the mandate system. advO-
Gated by liberal sentiment tho wOrlc
over. by abb" leaders from South Africa
Canada, China. Great Britain. SOutl
America and where not. 1t was cntircl,
acceptable, if honestly enforced, to III,
people to whom il was to be applied
The decision was ours and we tool
II. American safety first. Where W,
might have led at the zero hour Of 20.
litical opportunity we faltcred and re.
fused to go over
Too Late TO Act Now
"Now il is 700 late TO send Amori
can soldiers 10 Armenia. II j. i'm
possible to do what we could have don,
then. II would NOT have required NOR,
than 10000 men with 800 American Of,
ficcrS. We could have run the wLnl,
show without much trouble.
"If We had declared war aCaius
Turkey We could have sent troops int,
that country Immediately after III,
armiStiCc and could have done n grnu,
deal to pacifv th"m for the Turks re.
garded ~ with much respect"
Asked as 70 whether there was an,
danger "f Near East relief funds o,
supplies falling into the hands o
''graftinG mativ" petty officials. DR.
Westormann said:
THE Soviet officials have agreed tina
American relief funds shall not h
touched | talked with n man VIII,
has recently returned from there, an,
he told N" that these officials ar
keep ~ this promise.
Ash ID il there was any ruuncrtiur
between the return Of King CouStautin
to the Gr""k thron" and the call fo
an allied meet to revise the Trcut,
If Scvres. he -ald
Il think 80 France and ,,rca
Britain can say w" granted this :,
NcnizelOs-wr gHr" him Smyrna and h
could have carried il through. Sow
why should We Civ" Smyrna to Il bro'l.
erin law of NE kaiser: II (, no
true that NrutLr'oS could have, rgrrir,