Evening star., 1922-09-23
Control of DardaneIIes Vital
to Save Europe, Lloyd
George Says.
AT ODDS WITH FRENCH
ON PROPOSAL TO TURKS
London Refuses to Agree to Guar
antee to Surrender Part of
Eastern Thrace.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
LONDON, September 23.-The policy
Of Great Britain in the near east Is
to establish the freedom of the
Dardanelles under the supervision of
the league of nations, declared Prime
Minister Lloyd George In statement
at a conference with the newspaper
men this afternoon.
Mr.. Lloyd George said that what
ever steps the government had taken
. to strengthen the military and naval
forces In the Dardanelles and the
Bosporus, had been dictated by two
supreme considerations: First, Our
anxiety as to the freedom of the seas
between the Mediterranean and the
Black sea-" and, second. ito prevent
this exceptionally horrible war from
spreading into Europe"
Avoids Merits Of Case.
The prime minister declared at the
outset he would like to make it
clear that any action taken had moth
ing to do with the merits or demerits
of the case under dispute between
Greece and the Turks.
The British government. he said.
had been impartial as between the
Greeks and the Turks. He pointed
out that few weeks ago the Greeks
threatened to march on Constanti-
nople, and at that time Gen. Har-
ington. the British general in chief
command at Constantinople, had
warned the Greeks "in Identical terms
as the warning now given to Mus
tapha Kemal Pasha'
In dealing with the question OF
the freedom of the straits, MIR. Lloyd
George said that what had happened
in the late war demonstrated how
vital was the freedom of these mar
row seas to the protection of COM
nerce and Ito humanity in its broad
est aspects"
Prolonged War Two Years.
The closing OF the straits by Tur-
key during the late war, he declared.
was responsible for the disaster "of
one of our strongest allies,and the
defeat of Rumania and prolonged the
war by at least two years"
In pointing out Great Brita.n's i'm
partiality, as shown by her warning
to the Greeks, he added.
I'VE acted then in the interest OF
peace. The same motive Is inspiring
our action today"
Mr.. Lloyd George in his statement
said:
I'm view of the misapprehension
as to the character of the difficulties
which have arisen in the near east, I
wish to make a statement as to the
actual facts and position.
II 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
demerits Of the dispute between the
Greeks and the Turks.
Two Considerations Involved.
whatever settlement is affected of
either Anatolia or Thrace, that is a
matter for determination by a con-
ference between the allies and the
belligerents. and any steps we have
taken to strengthen our military and
naval forces in the Dardanelles and
the Bosporus have nothing whatever
to do with any considerations 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 Mediterranean and
the Black sea. That is the first and
primary consideration in directing our
actions. What happened in the late
war has demonstrated clearly to the
British empire how vital the freedom
Of those various seas Is to the secu-
rity of the empire. to the protection
of our commerce and to humanity in
Its broadest aspects.
Turkish Act of Perfdy.
'.The closing Of the straits against
us by a power which owed probably
more to Great Britain, and certainly
to Great Britain and France to-
-
the world, was an act of perf1dy
which cost US dearly. 1t was directly
responsible for the collapse of our
most powerful ally in that quarter
Of the globe and was also RESPONSE
BILE for the defeat of Rumania.
These two disasters had the effect
of prolonging the war at least two
y1ars and adding enormously to the
16ss Of life and to the devastation
and destruction. w which H., 1t Will take
tion, to repair. It is an essential
condition OF world peace that there
shall be an effective guarantee for
the freedom Of those seas In the
future. If peace were signed with.
1t would be equivalent to a defeat in
that part of the world.
OF vital British interest.
with that object in view the allies
brepared as the first condition Of the
armistice with Turkey, signed October
80, 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
portA We therefore regard the free
dom Of those seas as Of vital British
interest and vital European interest
Therefore the first thing we had in
mind in any steps we have taken in
the last few days have been to insure
that nothing be done to menace the
freedom Of those seas and the world
wide interest of civilization. In doing
this would point out that we were TAX
ing no separate action. but simply carry
ing out the policy agreed upon by all
the allies in October, 1918. We have
not departed one iota from the posi-
tion we took then. and in doing so we
have not betrayed the trust which the !
British empire as q whole vested in u.s. |
THE second object we had In max |
ing any preparations was to prevent |
this exceptionally horrible war from
spreading into Europe.
II am not going to apportion the |
blame between the Greeks and the |
Turks The time has not come for
that. and It Is not necessary that We
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