New-York tribune., 1922-09-27
French ADsOlve
Turks OF Using.
Smyrna Torch
Investigation Fails to JUS
iify Charge Of Burning
Town. Says Statement.
from the Foreign Office
Greeks Gailty of Abuses
Fired Villages and Would
Have Destroyed Brusa Had
Not Allies Intervened

| PARIS, Sept. 2s fsy The Associated
i Press} The French Foreign Office, in
81 Official statement published to-day,
confirmed the news from Constantine
pie that General pelle, the French
High Commissioner in that city, and
| Admiral Dumesnil. commander of the
French forces In Near East waters, had
satisfied themselves that there was
nothing to justify the holding of the
Turks responsible for the burning Of
Smyrna.
Admiral Dumesnil also Investigated
the charges that the Turks poured
kerosene on the houses and streets and
found them salse. Both General Pelle
and the admiral found that there had
! been much excitement in the Greek and
| Armenian quarters of smyrna and that
number of Turk officers and men had
| beer wounded by bombs and hand
| gsenades thrown from the houses.
| The two French commanders found
| that fires were started in widely sepa-
rated spots in foreign quarters Of the
city. They learned that French sailors,
who We're fighting flames, we're fred
/ npon. Turkish authorities tried to put
out the fires, but the wind famed the
! flames.
/ Greeks Declared Culpabie
I "The French government, if it found
nothing showing Turkish responsible
I ity for the fire." said the statement,
"on the other hand, has in its posses
sion most damaging testimony on mis-
deeds of which the Greek army is
guilty and perpetrated during the re-
treat" The statement declared that
Eski-Shehr was not molested during
! the Turk retreat, but it was burned
! when the Greeks were routed. Brusa,
which was destined for fire, was saved
only by the French Consul and two
Italian officers, who induced General
Soumilas the Greek commander, to
countermand an order for the burning
of the town, it stated. The Foreign
Office said that most Of the neighbor-
ing villages were burned and pillaged
! by Greek soldiersa
| LONDON, Sept. 26.- Strong criticism
Of the behavior OF Greek troops in the
| Neaf East was made by Viscount st.
Davids, who presided to-day at the
serni-annual meeting of the board of di-
Tectors of the Ottoman Railway, which
| oPSAatcS 4soH ofnyitla 10 A1Qln, IN ASIA
Minor. The viscount said
Greeks Burned Villages
"The Greeks in their retreat burned
| every village, they saw They robbed
individual Turks, and when these re-
| sisted they killed them. They did all
this near the front and without mill
tary necessity. They did it out Of sheer
maliciousness. Our reports are that it
was done systematically by regular
troops under orders. 1t was done by
| the malice Of men who knew they could
not hold the country and meant to
make it worthless for any one else.'.
The Greeks took from Smyrna a mum
ber Of leading Turks and deported them
| to Athens, Vjscount st. Davids de-
clared.
"The Greeks deserved all they got
and more" he said. "King Constan.
tines servants are very bad fighters,
but they are first class at robbery, ar
son and murder"
The speaker said that the Greeks
were now quiet, but that the Armenjans
had resorted to bomb throwing and in
many ways prompted the chances of
massacre.