Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-10-15
ENGLAND 8 NEAR
EASTERN POLICY
IS DEFENDED BY
PRIME MINISTER
Lloyd George, in Speech,
Stresses the Need of
Keeping Open the Straits
of the DardaneIIeS,
WHAT HAPPENED IN
1914 IS RECALLED
Points Out What Might
Have Resulted if Turks
Had Crossed BoSphoruS
and Entered ThraCe,

Manchester England. Oct. "a
Cby the Associated Press) Prime
Minister Lloyd George devoted the
greater part of his speech to the
Reform club here this afternoon
to a vigorous defense of the GOV
ernment's Near Eastern policy. lie
stressed at the outset the need of
keeping open the straits of the
Dardanelles.
ut is not necessary" said Mr.
Lloyd George, ito point out the
importance OF securing the straits
against a repetition of what hap
pened in 1914. THAT prolonged
the war for two years and it very
nearly brought upon the cause OF
the allies irreparable diaster. But,
aside from that, it is the only road
to the fair way of the Black sea.
where you've got the raw mate
rials you need, surplus food in
times of peace-in normal times
such as no other part of Europe
could supply and of the commerce
Of that part of the world one-third
had always been in British ships.
Straits An Important Prize.
Vital TO us, vital to humanity.
we could not have those straits
barred without giving away the
biggest important prize we had
won by the victory over Turkey
in the great war and which had
cost us so much in life and
treasure.
'As to spreading the war into
=
think what would have happened
if the Turk, flushed with victory
with no army to resist him. had
crossed the Bosphorus, passed into
Thrace and occupied Constantin-
ople. DO you think he would have
stopped in Eastern Thrace? Who
would have stopped him from go
ing into Western Thrace and pos
sbly passing into Salonika? You
know that that would have meant
war, And the war Of 1914 praeti-
Gally besan in tha BALKANS.
Il think it was right that be-
fore the Turkish army should have
been allowed 70 cross into Europe
in the flush OF victory, with the
blood of Smyrna on its hands, il
should have time to cool, and that
We should have guaranteed that
there would be protection for the
miaorities in Europe. That is all
we did. We are pledged to shield
these people.
"Was Not Our Business"
"I am told it was not our busi-
ness. | am sorry to say that lib
erals had been pleading that It
o n n
fore between the Turks and their
victims. What business is 1t OF
Britain? was the question; il the
Turk insists, leave him alone; let
him cross the straits; let him cross
to Constantinople--a free road ana
a fair way to the shambles
THAT, was not the old liberal
policy. II was not the policy cer-
tainly that l was brought up in.
1t was not what l was taught in
my youth--that Englishmen,
Scotchmen and Welshmen should
every morning repeat reverently
the litany of the cynic: Am | my
brothers. Keeper that Great Bri-
tain should face the world with
the brand of Cain upon her brow.
The prime minister continued
his lengthy defense of the govern
ment's Near Eastern policy by lay
ing particular stress upon the re-
sistance to the French policy to-
ward Mustapha Kemal Pasha.
Suppose we had followed meek
ly behind France" he continued.
THE Kemalist forces would have
been at Chanak. The next thing
that would have happened would
have been the crossing of the
Gallipoli was held by a
very weak Senegalese battalion
with orders that they were not to
fire on the Turks. Both sides of
the straits would have been in
Kemalist hands.
''Do you think they would have
got them out? You would have
gone to the peace conference and
said: win you please get away
from Chanak and Gallipoli?' and
Kemal would have said: No, we
will guarantee the straits for you"
Had an Understanding.
"Our critics say: Why didn't you
have an understanding with your
allies, We did. Only few weeks
ago we received O message from
Greeks or the Turks invaded the
be resisted by force by the allies
hey meant It, How were we tc
believe 1t was only intended for
one side?"
Dealing with the recent criti.
,isms by Lord Grey on the govern
nent's foreign policy the premier
said:
"It is not easy in the realms OF
foreign affairs to secure agreement
md to secure results. Lord Grey
Knows that. Take 1914. His pro-
)osals were admirable. His tenn
,er, | agree with Mr.. Asquith. was
II the very best. But he was NOT
he kaiser's adviser and he had no
influence over the German general
staff. They had their own am
1itions. They had their own ideas.
( is Just possible that language
ess direct, or that language more
lirect, language more emphatic,
night have stopped 1t, but It Is
Easy to he wise after the event
Diplomatic Failure.
II am not criticizing I am only
pointing out that it was the great
ast, most calamitous diplomatic
allure the world has ever seen and
hat 1t was due to conditions over
which Lord Grey had no control.
He, therefore. ought to be charit-
lble with others.
"Take tho whole OF the incidents
II that period. Lord Grey sought
o make peace in the Balkans. He