The New York herald., 1922-11-07
Kemal Demands Constantinople.

uate ConStantinople KEMAL chal-
! lenges anew the Powers of Europe.
Three weeks ago his representative
signed the treaty at Mudania agree
ing to an allied occupation Of the
Turkish straits and specifically de-
fined neutral zone and the cessa-
tion of aggressive action, the whole
question of the Near East to be
settled by a European conference.
Flushed by his success as a military
leader and his power over his own
people, he has defiantly torn up this
treaty and with the arrogance Of a
conqueror asks that Constantinople
and the Turkish straits be turned
over to his immediate control
When KEMAL left Angora for his
western conquest he had very clearly
settled in his own mind that If sue
cess came to him he would be con-
tent with nc adjustment which should
not put him in occupation of all con-
troverted territory In advance of the
Near East conference, which was
then under discussion. Once in occu-
| patton he believed that he could not
be ousted. With this idea he entered
Smyrna and confronted the British
lines at Chanak and Ismid. He sent
his representative to the Mudania
conference with what he thought was
the assurance of FRANKLIN-BoULLoN
that an armistice would make the
Nationalists and not the allied COM
mission the ruling power at the
Turkish capital.
The terms his representative made
at the Mudania meeting were the
hest which he could secure on paper.
Since then his men have entered
eastern Thrace and taken over the
control of affairs. The Greek popula
tion knew that the Turk was return
ing to Europe, and knowing what
crosses the line of the neutral zone,
when he demands that therAllies get
out of Constantinople and when he
closes the straits to allied warships
he does so with confidence. And that
confidence comes from the belief that
Moslem Constantinople will receive
him, that by occupying Thrace he is
already in Europe, and that allied
Europe will not offer armed resist
ance to his staying there.
One of KEMAL's reasons for scrap
ping the Mudania treaty Is that with
the last meeting of the Angora AS
sembly old Turkey passed and with 1t
all of its agreements and contracts.
But another and stronger reason is
that with the change in the British
Government the danger OF a clash
with British arms has passed. BoNAR
LAW has taken the position that the
Near East question does not concern
Great Britain alone, however noble
and valiant was the stand of LLOYD
GEORGE in the interest of Western
civilization, and that. whatever is
| to be done to mitigate the conse-
quences of the Turks return to Eu
rope must be done by concerted ac-
tion OF all the Allies.
There is apparently now desire
for unity of action among the Allies.
They displayed thorough agreement
at Mudania and the Allied High
| Commissioners at Constantinople
notified KEMAL that they would not
accede to his demands by evacuating
the city. Exactly how he is going to
close the straits when he has no
warships at his command and is not
| in control Of the Dardanelles is not
clear. The Allies are still in position
TO call his bluff and force him to re-
spect his own agreement.
There is perhaps no doubt that
KEMAL will eventually be permitted
10 enter Constantinople. But what
the Allies ask is that he shall not
force his way in az a conqueror and
go to the Near East conference with
the occupation an accomplished fact.
Besides the city itself there are other
4
grave matters in this problem which
must be adjusted What does KEMAL
mean by the freedom of the straits,
ly fair treatment Of the non-Moslem
races and by the territory of Thrace?
A new Turk, 1t is true, goes back to
Constantinople and to a Sublime
Porte without Sultan, but 1t is not
80 evident that this successor of the
Sultan and his autocratic rule is
going to change his methods.
If he feels secure in his power he
is going to demand western Thrace
in addition to eastern Thrace. He
will thus carry the line Of Turkey
up to Saloniki and he will cut off the
Balkan States from the Egean Sea.
His promises of protection for the
non-Moslem populations have proved
of so little value that civilization will
demand better safeguards than it
ever had before against oppression