Evening star., 1922-12-04
Soviet Backs KemaIist Pro-
posaI for Closing DardaneIles
to Foreign Warships.
LAUSANNE CONFERENCE
HAS REACHED ITS CRISIS
Allies Stunned by Virtual Ulti.
matum of Turkish-Rus-
sian Group.
By the Associated Pres.

BY the Associated Press
LAUSANNE. December 4-The clos.
ing of the Dardanelles to all war
ships except those OF Turkey and
giving Turkey the right to fortffy
the straits were advocated by For
eign Minister Tchitcherin Of Russis
at today's meeting of the Lausanne
conference. called to discuss the
question of the straits.
Ismet Pasha. leading Turkish dele
gate. asked for absolute Turkish
control of the straits. without de-
militarization.
The preliminary exposition Of thu
question by representatives of the
great powers had not been completed
when the meeting was adjourned
Ex-Premier Venizelos of Greece
was accompanied by four guards to
the meeting. The detectives are
constantly with him now wherever
he goes. owing to fear of an attempt
TO assassinate him.
Soviet With Turks.
The American delegation included
Richard Washburn Child. Joseph C.
retaries Belin and Amory.
Tchitcherin insisted that Turkish
sovereignty could only be guaranteed
by the presence of Turkish warships
in the straits. while the warships OF
other powers should be prohibited
from entering them. He continued
also that Turkey should have author
IN
Of safeguarding her independence and
particularly for the protection of her
capital. Constantinople.
His speech caused such a commo-
ton in the ranks of the allies that
Lord Curzon arose and remarked iron
ically that the conference was inter
ested to observe that the Russians
who came to Lausanne representing
three countries. were now acting as
the mouthpiece for fourth, namely.
Turkey.
In this he referred to Russia's rep.
resenting Georgia and the Ukraine
as Well as Russia herself.
All delegates to the near east con-
ference approached today's session
with the conviction that the critical
moment of the discussions was at
hand.
Feeling runs SO high between the
Moslem and the Greek delegates that
it is difficult to accept the statements
ances. because of the bitterness of tho
charges and counter charges The
Turks insist that the Greeks are un.
necessarily panicky. wkil. the latter
retort that wholesale massacres and
persecution make life absolutely in
supportable to Christians in Moslem
territories.
Six hundred THOUSAND Greeks have
already fled to their native shores
from Asia Minor and Nansen est,-
t,at L.
more in Turkish territory. Ismet
Pasha regards this estimate as TOO
high. Nansen is persuaded. after ex-
tensive investigation of conditions in
Turkey. that the Greeks cannot re-
main there.
Life is SO difficult for the Greek.
in Asia Minor that it does not take
any official mandate to move then;
they simply cannot stay Nansea told
the Associated Press.
Food Shortage Threatened.
The Turks. on their part. charge
that Moslems in Greek territory find
life insupportable. They have ap-
parently agreed TO plans which Nam
sen is working out for the exchange
of 100000 Moslem civilians in Greece
for 100000 Greeks in Asia Minor
More than 100000 Greeks and Turks
are also held as prisoners of war or
hostages. thus there are well over
100000 persons whom Nansen is
striving to transplant in the interests
of peace in the near east. These
figures do not include between 30O.-
900 and 100000 Greeks in Constan-
tinople. whom the Turks want to
expel. Many Greeks in Moslem ter
ritory are hundreds of miles inland
and far from the railways.
,rIy
exchanges be made at once so that
transportation will not be hampered
Indefinitely by a disorganized move
ment, which they insist would make
reconstruction work difficult in Asia
Minor.
The danger of great hardship
through food shortage exists il the
exchanged populations are not put on
the new lands by February in time
for the planting.
Meantime there is no money avail
able for this great task and the
danger of a rupture of the negotia-
tions at Lausanne threatens collapse
of the entire scheme.