New-York tribune., 1922-10-22


But Smyrna has become Turkish,
again by conquest, and according to
the terms presented by the Allies last
March Tenedos. fmbros, Lemnos, Nifty
iene and Samothrace are to be attached
to the demilitarized zone of the Straits,
which, under the final agreement OF
September %, 1922, is 60 be admins
tered under the direction Of the League
Of Nations. If Lloyd Georges policy
was described correctly by NJ. vellay
It was smashed to pieces by the sullen
resistance of Great Britain's nom
Christian subjects and by the rout Of
the Greek army.
The unworkability of the Sarss
treaty was recognized at the London
conference of February, 1921. The
compact was Intellectually patched up
then. At Paris, in March, 1922, it was
recast again, to suit rev conditions
and TO allow Constantine to get out OF
Asia with at least half skin.
In the first place the March, 1922,
revision conceded all Asia Minor to
Turkey. Turkish sovereignty the
Poincare-Curzon-Schanzer agreement
said, will be fully assured from the
Mediterranean to the Black Sea and
from the frontiers Of Transcaueasia. OF
Persia and of Mesopotamia to the
shores Of the Egean." This language
may or may not cover the case Of
Kurdistan. But 1t restores to Turkey
all Of Turkish Armenia and the terri
tory claimed by the Greeks in Asia.
In Europe eastern Thrace was to be
given to Turkey from the Tchatalja
line west to a line running north
from Ganas and then curving north
east past Kirk-Kilisse to the Bulgarian
frontier. The larger section of east
ern Thrace-that between the above
line and the Martha River-was to
remain Greek. So was part of the
Gallipoli Peninsula. The other part,
fronting the Dardanelles; the Asian
shore Of the Dardanelles, about Cha
max; tho peninsula Of Artaki In the Sea
Of Marmora, the Ysmid neck and the
islands off the Aegean end of the
Straits were to be erected into a
Straits neutral xons. Constantinople
was to be rsstored to the full authority
Of the Sultan's government and the
Allied troops were to be withdrawn
from the city after ratification of a
new peace treaty. The armed forces
allowed to the Sultan were to be en-
larged to 10000 regulars and $4,000
gendarmerie, an increase Of $4,000 over
the Sevxes totals.
These modiications marked the main
line OF the Allied retreat from the po-
sition that the Turk should be thrown
head over heela out Of Europe. ON
other provisions Of the Sevres compact
concessions were also offered. There
was never any difficulty over the neu-
traligation Of the Straits. All partie,
favor naturalization and all seem now
inclined to accept genuine interna-
tionaiization. The Paris project of
March 26 last contemplated placing an
Allied garrison on Gallipoli and giving
control Of the neutraiized, demi!itar-
ized Straiss region to an international 1
commission, the president of which !
should be Turk. This left the bal
ance Of power much as it has been in
Constantinople for the last two or
three years-with the state having the
biggest naval and military contingent.
On September % France, Great Britain
and Italy decided to leave maintenance
OF the freedom Of the DardaneIles, the
Sea to Marmora and the Bosporus to
the League of Nations.
AS to the protection Of religious and
racial minorities there were also no
differences sin principle" The Turks
say that they are perfectly willing to
give minority guarantees. The duty OF
compelling respect for such guarantees
is to be devolved in the League OF
Nations.
AT Paris last March the Allies prom
ised to revise the capituIations and to
modify the Sevres provisions sor CON
tinuing stringent outside Supervision
of Turkish finances. These questions
are juridical and economic, rather
than political. The new Turkish state
is interested in them only in so far
as it feels its dignity afFronted by
extraterritoriality for foreign resi-
dents and its independence fnfringed
on by alien debt-collecting agencies.
divergences Of view can proba-
bly, be harmonized without much
friction.
The Allied peace terms Of March 26
were altered in the joint note of Sep
tember % conformably to the change
in the military situation in Asia Minor
All Of eastern Thrace was now offered
to Turkey, instead of barely half of it,
Adrianople, Moslem Holy City" OF
the second class, so to speak, was in
cluded. The Allies also undertook to
speed the Greeks out and to reinstate
tho Turks MS preliminary to peace.
The conference will therefore meet
with most of its work definitely mapped
out for it. No vague Fourteen Points
will have to be interpreted. The reces-
sions from the stern custer policy %
Sevres are not only sketched out, bat
are signed and sealed in the protocols
L. 9ss a 4 S<s :