Evening star., 1939-10-06
Turkeys Stand Seen
Possibly Affecting
Allies Colonies
Nation, Remembering
World War, Due to Take
Care to Choose Sides
By COL. FREDERICK PALMER.

Germ to the war policy of the al
lies. This may be decisive fac
tor in the futures of the British
and French Colonial Empires.
No Turkish mission, be 1t in Lon
don or Moscow, will agree to any,
thing which is not concerned by
Gen. Ismet Inonu, successor to
Kennel Ataturk Fortune has dealt
strong cards into Inonu's hand. Geo.
graphically at the gateway of Asia,
by land and sea, Turkey can real
ize on her position and her mill
tary strength.
This time she would take care to
choose the winning side, in memory
of her rough experience on the los
ing side in the World War and the
penalties for her mistaken judgment
imposed upon her by the victors.
In the World War, she was guild
ed by the Young Turk leaders who
made the revolution which de-
throned corrupt, cunning and mur-
derous old Sultan Abdul Hamid
They had been largely trained in
Germany Their conviction that
the central powers would win lined
up Turkey in war against the al
lies.
Could Not Reach Turkey.
The Germans sent generals and
staff officers to direct Turkish Army
operations, but could not reach Tur-
key, past the British blockade or
the Serbian Army, with either as
sisting troops or munitions.
The British had to forestall any
attack on the Suez Canal, their life
line to India. In study resistance
the Turks forced the retirement OF
the Inflated, gallant Gallipoli expe-
dition and prevented allied access
to the Black Sea through the Dar-
danelles to aid Russia.
All this was of military value to
Germany in drawing off allied troops
from the western front in the World
War. But what were the Turks
who were doing the fighting in Tur-
key getting out of their sacrifices:
They were the alien brothers being
thrown to the wolves by their allies
At last broken and discouraged
they fell back before Gen. Allenby's
march to Jerusalem.
The depths of their humilia tior
were plumbed when Lloyd George
backed the Greek Army in giving
the PROSTATE Turkish Army the
final kick. Then rose young Kennel
a broadsword of man, reorganizing
and revitalizing the Turkish veterans
and routing and pursuing the Greek
Army with an avenging hand.
Greatest Transformation.
Any traveller who knew slothful
decadent Turkey at the turn of the
century knows that the transforma.
tions Kennel wrought were the great.
est OF the postwar period in any
land, greater than Mussolini's ir
Italy. Removing the veil from WON.
en- and later separating the state
from religion-in that most devout
Of Mohammedan lands where the
sultans had been the padishahs who
were heads of the state and religion
were only Incidental in modern
iZation so swift that it seemed mag.
ical He was the savior of the Turk.
ish race and religion, the new pa.
dishah, Ataturk (the great Turk
whose reforms were accepted tC
make all Turks strong in his like.
ness.
The new army which Ataturk
formed, with its modern staff anc
equipment, is his legacy to Inonu
as card on the table of negotia
ton. Will its soldiers fight? All
you have to say is, For Allah, Alta
turk and Turkey"
AS soldier. the Turk is loyal
obedient, brave, stubborn, of an in
herently martial race. I should say
that only one Asiatic, the Japanese
Is in his fighting class. and, we'll led
division against division, equally
we'll armed, he would give the Jap
anese as good as he sent and some
thing to boot Soldiers of the great
professional armies of Europe who
know him rate the Turk high.
War Strength, 100000.
The peace strength of the Turkish
Army is 100000; it's war strength
100000, with $50 first-line airplanes
If the British and French had to
defend Iraq and Syria and the Suez
Canal against the Turks, they would
require a considerable force.
What danger does Turkey face
from Germany? Hitler must first
clear the way through the Balkans
for his army From Soviet Russia?
Would Russia undertake to trans
port an army across the Black Sea
when she has few ships to spare?
Russia is interested in closing the
Dardanelles, and Turkey still holds
both sides of the classic straits
which separate Europe from Asia.
In any attack across the Black
Sea Russia would not only face diff
ficult ground for invasion of Turkey
but would be in the range of allied
airplanes from Cyprus and Syria
In a descent from the Caucasus q
Russian army would also face diff
cult going. And what would Ger
many say to any such aggression?
President Inonu is following Tur-
keys old policy of playing one Euro
pean power against another. She Ii
yet little coy on the sidelines, ask
ing what. she will get out of thi,
war. Considering that Germany ha.
been her best customer, she may
have an eye on the British treasury
A Mohammedan land-When thu
British consider the price-she is ir
the forefront of the immense Mo.
hammedan population In Asia, ane
the British and French rule many
Mohammedans.
(Released by the North American
Newspaper Alliance. Inc.)