Evening star., 1922-12-26

here is still a largo underground trade
munitions of war throughout Europe
i,as been disclosed through the recent
charges of British newspapers that the
French government had supplied the
Turkish nationalist army with the
wherewithal to defeat the Greeks, and
possibly TO defeat the British In the
vicinity OF Constantinople.
Information reaching Paris is be-
l,eved to disproye this broadcast state
ment against the French. On the con-
trary, it is affirmed that no small part
ot the Turkish military supplies was
obtained in London, through firm
partly British, and certainly with no
Turk sympathies.
When Ismet Pasha. head of the
Turkish peace delegation at Lausanne
and organizer of the main Turkish army,
was in Paris lately, he said: My war
materials were obtained from Ameri-
can. British. Italian. French. Greek and
Did Not Waste Supplies.
Much Of it came from the Greeks
themselves" Ismet Pasha continued. Il
waited until l had "A good supply ON
hand, collected by agents operating III
Europe. 1 did not waste any of my sup
plies until l was ready for general
drive against the Greek in August. Like
the American officers at Bunker Hill.
instructed my artillery and infantry
officers to wait until they saw the whites
of the eyes of the enemy, and then to
shoot. When the Greeks began to re-
treat we got the Very large stores they
had collected. We are grateful to them
for some very fine field guns. made in
England.
There does not seem to be much SEN
timent in this business of furnishing
munitions to countries anxious to fight
each other. The dealers will sell to all
comers so long as cash is paid on de-
livery. There is a firm operating in
Holland that will sell any kind Of gun
in any quantity. and deliver it on the
high seas ii ports are lacking. Firms
1Ir London will do the same. Trieste,
at the head Of the Adriatic. has become
notorious as a place to buy war NUM-
goods located in Alexandria, in Con-
stantinople, in various places in the
Balkans and in Paris.
Germans Sell Munitions.
"One of the most successful sellers
or war goods is a German firm, the
members of which were once con-
nScted with krupps. They will sup
French munitions. Much of the ma
1erial being sold is new. Twenty-six
factories are said to be working in
Russia and war material may soon
become Russia's chief export.
The general war left not only the
United States. but each of the ma
tons of Europe. with large supplies
on hand, which were sold for song
These supplies slowly have been
changing hands. Italians distributed
to all corners large numbers Of guns
and cannon captured from the Aus
tr1ans, the total value of which in
1918 reached possibly billion dollars
and the postwar value Of which was
possibly million or So"
American travellers in Jugoslavia
have been mystified at seeing what
appeared to be American soldiers
lounging about the railway stations
They were Serbs wearing joblot
american uniforms sold cheaply by
the United States and resold to the
Jugoslav government.
One Propaganda Basis.
One of the standard propaganda
charges made by the Greeks against
the Turks. and conversely by the
Turks against the Greeks, was that
the enemy was wearing American
uniforms as a ruse to penetrate lines
without being fired on. The evident
answer was joblot American uni
FORMS
The governments OF Europe seem
contrabanding. During the various
periods of the British occupation of
Constantinople British subjects are
said to have sold to the Turkish ma
ttonalists either discarded British war
material. or else Turkish war ma
terial that had been captured by the
British.
At one time there was large guam
: ttty OF war material at Adrianople, with
the keys of the storehouses in the hands
~ an allied c. mmission which had Or
fcrs to destroy it. This the commission
apparently failed to do. and somehow
The storehouses were gradually emptied
Small wars and revolutions have been
50 frequent in Europe since the close Of
the great war that the average citizen
no longer attempts even to remember
Two years, almost unnoticed. Poles were
opposed to Ukrainians, and 1901 men
were engaged. Each side bought sup
Piles wherever they were for sale. nota-
bly, IN this case In Vienna and Budapest
Other Armies to EQUIP.
Than there have been new armies to
and Rumania. Serbia recently voted
$4,000. 900 for ornaments. Russia has
used up enormous quantities Of mate
rial during her various wars and revolu-
tons since 1917.
Not little Of Europe's cast-off arms
has gone to Egypt. to Syria. to Arabia.
10 Persia and to the hinterlands beyond
the Caspian. The Afghans. among 9TH
ers. have equipped an important army.
had their share. Dealers in Europe
have made shipments to the warning
rsvoluttonists Of China.
While these smaller wars have been
able to keep going indirectly by reason