AMERICAN NEAR EAST POLICY.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3145, 27 November 1922, Page 8

AMERICAN NEAR EAST POLICY.

(A Xew York Correspondent). .Most important of all the influences which are forming America's Near East policy is that of the combined Protestant and evangelical Kree Churches of Xew York. This is the same force which caused the adoption of prohibition. Its strength is seldom apparent on the surface, but it accomplishes its purpose by relentless pressure, and usually the' first general realisation of its efforts is.when the accomplished factpresents itself to view. The fact was emphasised lately by the Tribune, President Harding's Xew York organ, in a despatch from Washington, The despatch states: "An avalanche of demands that America shall intervene at once in the Near Kast situation, and. if necessary, join Britain in a war on the Turks, has dumbfounded -Air Harding and Mr Hughes. The White House State Department is swamped with resolutions from all over the country and from Americans abroad. This insistence conies from church organisations. "It is almost impossible to exaggerate the tension in administration circles as the result of this evidence of a desjre by a considerable element of tjie American people' to go to war if that is the only way to hold the Turks in check', with the very real danger of another world war opening before diplomacy can smooth, it out. To-day's despatches, it is felt here, have merely postponed lb" danger el' an explo-ion, If that explosion comes, if the battle is once drawn between British and Turks, there is no disguising the fact that a large element in thi.s country,

reaching into every congressional district., will open a highly organised drive io put tin's country in arms at Britain's side.

"If the present trouble should be smoothed over without war between Great Britain and Turkey, it is regarded as very probable that tin's country will bo willing to join in guaranteeing the freedom of the Dardanel-