Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-05-19
GREEKSFROMU.S.
FORCED TO FIGHT
NaturaIized Americans Con.
scripted Regret Visit Back
to Homeland.
BY CONTAINING Drown.

+ nH COhSTANT1NE BROWN.
BY Cable to The Star and Chicago Tally New.
SMYRNA, Greek Asia Minor, NAY
III was slipping Turkish coffee in
I front of one of the many cafes on the
quai, when a Greek soldier approached
me. at once produced my passport,
thinking 1t was the usual control
snow your papers twenty times
day" The man waved my papers
away.
NO.. he said, that isn't what /
want Aren't you an American" he
asked in fairly good English MY
nome Is In Philadelphia. where 1 have
plenty Of business"
What made you come back. and why
are you in uniform now?" I asked
The man pushed his cap back, scratched
his head, and said: II don't know.
was crazy in the head" and spat, dis
susted with himself and the world.
HIS story is one of thousands I'm
who had become naturaIized Americas
came back to see their relatives and
70 help them. They were caught bv
me new Greco Turkish war and forced
INTO the army, irrespective of whether
they had American passports or NOT
They had to abandon their business I'm
America and, whether they wanted to
OF NOT. mad to fight for their native
country.
Talk OF Better Days.
crazy In the head" is an expression
wnlcn every Greek applies to himself
ana ms rulers nowadays. All talk
ABOUT the good old days Of 1918 and
1913. when living was Cheap and com.
Portable in Greece while in the rest of
the Balkans life was misery.
| Greece came out of the war flnan-
ciaHy much better OF than any s0ther
j n0WAr nd 70 L. ~
currency was as good as the dollar
| Cntii the Greek government embarked
on the present war with Turkey the
p t,easGry was better on than the
The Greek government fully ,..,,,..
tne impossibility of continuing the wa
witnout outside help. and since Vent
1eios ieft Greece none can see from
Mhere that outside help may come
ahe'e.ore. they have agreed to evacu
potion OF Thrace. and return them
to Turkey. This, undoubtedly. will
solve the problem as far as the con-
quot OF the war goes. but may throw
1reece into complete anarchy.
100000 Runaway Greeks.
When the decision of the evacuat,o,
OF Asia Minor is made known. AT least
100000 Greeks living in Asia Minor
VIII run away. 1t is probable that
mere Will be no massacres and that
me turkish army will behave; but
sne Sfeeks, who did not treat the
OF occupation, are terrified that The
TURKS are going to get IL back on
the innocent as we'll as the guilty.
and are getting ready to seek refuge
1 have visited several rich families.
here. and. although they have been
established in this city for more than
Two centuries, they are preparing to
GET away as soon as the allies de-
Taoe 70 return Smyrna to Turkey.
gees the government expects to see in
greece after the departure of the
army from Asia Minor are almost
an farmers and their farming knowl-
Hellada. The little arabic land there
Is occupied by other people There
fore, the fate of these refugees will
be tragic, and the Greek government.
whiGn cannot refuse them shelter. is
looking forward with apprehension to
the moment when this host shall ar
rive. Nobody knows what to do with
them and all foresee that the greatest
part Will have to starve.
Return OF Army Fear.
But what most worries the Greek
government is the return Of the army.
There are 10000 soldiers who have
been promised victory and money, and
everything under the sun. Instead
they have seen disaster and misman-
agement and have not been paid for
TOUR months. Their morale is already
bad. They leave the front now in
groups of twenty to thirty men to
loot the villages behind the lines. re.
turning few days later to their
units with the hope that they will
still be given a chance to fight and
win. II that chance is not given to.
them. the government fears that. in
stead OF returning to their villages.
they Will come to Athens and there,
led by their hot-headed officers. will
start by getting rid of the govern
ment and king and plunge the coun-
try into civil war
The government realizes that peace
will be welcomed by all the soldiers
who have been fighting for years al
ready, but its inability to pay the
pensions OF the widows and the pay
of the soldiers makes it think that
the soldiers will listen to the enemies
of the present regime and start a
revolutionary movement with far
reaching consequences.