The Washington herald., 1921-07-10
LOOMS IN NEAR EAST AS IMPERIALISM SQUABBIE ES FOR SPOS
Simonds Sees Greco-Turk
Dispute Embroil Allies
Britain Backs Turkey, France, Greece, and
Italy Takes Hand to Protect Territorial
Seizures of Peace.

of KemaI. the Turkish Nationalist
leader, by which France resigned
Cillcia and accepted a frontier in
the main following the Bagdad
railway line from the Mediterranean
to the Euphrates, where Turkish,
British and French boundaries meet
In addition to yielding goodly
portion or the territory acquired
through the treaty of Sevres, the
French pledged themselves to sup
pert the Turks generally in all their
claims
Thus for a whole variety of rea-
sons the French have chosen to
back the Turk. to work for his
reinstatement at Constantinople,
Smyrna and elsewhere. BY such a
policy they hope to avoid a war
with the Turk on the frontiers OF
Syria, they expect, also to block
British aspirations to dominate
Constantinople and the Near East
generally, through manipulation OF
the Greek agent II the Turk wins
manifestly France. which is, by the
way. the chief holder of Turkish
bonds antedating the war, may
look forward to being first friend.
II the Greek wins, British control
is certain.
The Italian point of view is
slightly different. Greece is direct
ly rival of Italy throughout the
Near East. For many years Italian
policy has sought to prevent the
Greeks from obtaining control of
the Aegean. exactly as it has aimed
al blocking the advance of the
southern Slavs to the Adriatic. In
a word. as the Southern Slavs are
regarded by the Italians as possi-
Die rivals in the Adriatic, the
Greeks are held as present adver-
saries in all of the eastern end of
the Mediterranean. This rivalry
eliminates in the disputes over the
Greek Islands of the Dodecanesus
and over Smyrna. Both are objects
Of italian ambition.
Italy Loses Out.
BY the treaty of Sevres. Italy ac-
quired certain interests about the
Gulf OF Adalla, but she lost Smyrna,
which had been promised to her
more or less directly. as one of the
rewards for participation in the war
on the allied side. She was also
forced to consent to the transfer of
the Dodecanesus to Greece and to
the extension OF Greek territory
into the southern portion of AL
bania. To be sure, Greek claims
both in the Dodecanesus and in
Northern Epirus were founded alike
upon history and ethnic conditions,
but Greece as a rival, would profit
and Italy lose unmistakably. IL
these arrangements were carried
out
Moreover, to realize her aspira-
tions. even about the Gulf of Adalia,
italy found herself confronted, like
the French in Cilicia. with the
necessity to fight a new Turkish
war and neither italian finance nor
italian popular sentiment was
favorable to a new adventure, which
might in the end prove as disastrous
as the Abyssinian venture Of the
previous century.
Accordingly, Italy washed her
hands of the Sevres compact. She
would contribute nothing to en-
forcing 1t, not a soldier nor a ship.
On the contrary, she took her stand
squarely with the French in ad-
vocatins q sweeping revision, all in
the interests of the Turk and at the
expense Of the Greek. Oddly
enough, just as Italy stands with
Britain against France in Upper
Silesia, she stands with France
against Britain in the Aegean.
British Are Embarrassed.
British policy, as a consequences.
is very much embarrassed. The
British would still like to dominate
at Constantinople, in fact they are
In actual IL not nominal control
there and mean to remain in con-
troll. But this means, IL Greece Is
eliminated or forced to yield TO the
Turk both in Europe and in Asia
Minor. that the British will have 10
nno troops to garrison not only
Constantinople. itself, but the Ash
atfc shores Of the Straits and the
Sea of Marmora. The ideal s,tu-
alton from the English point OF
view would Re for Greece to furnish
the soldiers and hold the nominal
control while British authority was
exercised behind this mask.
But to support Greece now means
70 embark upon a new adventure.
me very throne of Constantine Is
AT stake. He must make a good
Ireek title to the lands which Ven
I1eIos persuaded the conference at
aris 70 assign to his country, or
ne VIII nave to return to his Swiss
1he. discredited for all time. And
All enorts OF the allied countries to
persuade Constantine to agree to a
compromise have failed up to date.
win the result that new campaign
is just about to begin.
Defeated Last Year.
This Is, in fact. the second Greek
DID for last winter a Greek opera
ton pushed eastward from SMYRNA
and southwark from the Sea of Mar
mora, until 1t came to grief along
the Anatolian portion Of the Bagdad
railway, near Eskisher. This
Greek defeat brought the Turk back
to the environs both of constanti-
nopie and OF Smyrna Since then
both sides have been accumulatinr
arms and munitions, and n new con-
hict is just beginning.
II the Greeks should win this war
the British position in the Near East
would be consolidated, provided
constantine was as loyal to a Brit
Ism master as he was once to a Ger
man relative. But the Greeks can
hardly win without British support
and assistance. even II they can
acnleve success with this assistance.
And to give this assistance at
once involves the British in bitter
dispute with their French and Ital-
ian associates and advertises at
home that Great Britain is enKag-