New-York tribune., 1922-09-24

Glasgow to-day aboard the Empress o
India for the Near East Troops ar,
being shifted all over the country, AM
for the first time in many months larg,
companies in full field equipmen
through London to-day.
Lloyd Georges Statement
LONDON, Sept. 23 (By The Associ
ated Press) Lloyd George in his state
ment said;
In view of the mfsapprehension as
to the character of the difficulties
which have arisen in the Near East
] wish to make statement as to the
actual facts and position.
should like at the very outset to
make it clear that any action we
have taken during the last few days
has nothing to do with the merits
or dement's of the dispute between
the Greeks and the Turks.
Whatever settlement is effected of
either Anatolia or Thrace, that is a
matter for determination by con-
ference between the Allies and the
belligerents, and any steps we have
taken to strengthen our military and
naval forces in the Dardane!es and
the Bosporus have nothing what
ever to do with any consideration of
that kind.
Our action has been dictated by
two supreme considerations. One is
our anxiety as to the freedom Of
the seas between the Mediter-
ranean and the Black Sea. That is
the first and primary consideration
in directing our actions. What hap
pened in the late war has demon
strated clearly to the British Empire
how vital the freedom of those
various seas is to the security of the
empire, to the protection of our
commerce ana to humanity in it's
broadest aspects.
An Act of Perfidy
The closing of the Straits against
US by power which owes prob
ably more to Great Britain, and GER
tainly to Great Britain and France
together, than to any other power in
the world, was an act of pertidy
which cost us dearly. 1t was direct
ly responsible for the collapse of our
most powerful ally in that quarter of
the globe and was also responsible
for the defeat of Rumania.
These two disasters had the ef-
feet of prolonging the war at least
two years and adding enormously to
the loss of life and to the devasta-
tion and destruction, which it will
take many years, if not whole
generation to repair. 1t is an essen
tial condition of world peace that
there shall be an effective guaranty
for the freedom of those seas in
the future. If peace were signed
without the achievement of that OBJ
ject it would be equivalent to de-
feat in that part of the world
With that object in view the Allies
prepared as the first condition of
the armis stice with Turkey, signed
October so, 1918, the opening of the
Dardanelles and the Bosporus and
securing access to the Black Sea by
Allied occupation of the Dardanelles
and the Bosporus ports. We there
fore regard the freedom of those
seas as of vital British interest and
vital European interest.
Insists on Freedom of Seas
Therefore the first thing we had
in mind in any steps we have taken
in the last few days has been to in
sure that nothing be done to, menace
the freedom of those seas and the
worldwide interest of civilization
In doing this | would point out that
we were taking no separate action,
but simply carrying out the policy
agreed upon by all the Allies in Oc-
tober, 1918. We have not departed
one iota from the position we took