SAMSUN, ANGORA

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LI, Issue 8097, 23 September 1922, Page 3

SAMSUN, ANGORA

US VALUE TO THE TURKS. The value oi' Samsun from a strategical puiiii cl’ view, and whether it would have any bearing upon the •.inutilities between. Greece and Turkey , ,v. as recently in tjhe domic ui' Commons. Public opinion in Athens was not impressed by the discussions that nave taken place about the bombard ■rent of Samsun (states a writer in die Manchester Guardian.) The suggestion that Samsun is an inoffensive Turkish watering-place inhabited by picturescpro and peaceable Moslems, which seems to be. the idea of many of the member's of Parliament who have been most outspoken, is absurd. Samsun is the port of Angora for the importation, of munitions and material of war from Russia and France and others of the Great Powers interested in the peace of the Orient. I have myself received at !ii>T hand an account of the recent disembarkation at Samsun from mmchaiit ships of the Allied Powers ■a' munitions of war and from Russian siiips of .submarine mines in very large man bars. My informant was, neither Greek nor Armenian, and entirely trustworthy.

If, therefore, the Allies do not prevent the importation of matcirials of war into Kemalist Turkey, they must not prevent the Greeks from destroying such material when import col. Mr llantisworih is reported to have said that, while justifiable technically, the bombardment of Samsun will prejudice tho chances of peace, and is to be regretted. This only indicates how small a grasp our Foreign Office has of the psychology of the Turk. The possibility of peace in the Near East will only be prejudiced by such a display of weakness. To deprecate the bombardment of Samsun while allowing the disembarkation, there of the munitions which are the occasion of the bombardment involves a process of tbought, that inspires little confidence in the future of our foriigu policy. The Turks were caused great material damage and extreme disorganisation of supply by this bombardment..