Secret Diplomacy And The Hear East.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 13, Issue 31, 1 August 1923, Page 6

Secret Diplomacy And The Hear East.

How U©ydSe©rge : iuid.Cprzoii' >-'':JPiajd: Ciips-aiid-Ball; with ;■ ( ?.';-::■ t|e Greeks

As related:last.week, a Conference was held in London, in March, 1921, to consider the modification of .the. Treaty of Sevres and to bring about peace between Greece and Turkey. Why this Conference broke down rwas something of a mystery at the time. Mr. Lloyd George has said that it was all due to Turkey. "I nave good reason to know," he said, 16 months later, "that Greece would have accepted the terms then proposed . . . the failure to come to terms was entirely the failure of Angora." It is difßcult to .characterise this statement politely. We know now, from a statement by M. Chrussachi* Private Secretary to M. Gounaris, published In the "Morning Post,'*, that the failure of this Conference was due to Mr. Lloyd George, himself. The facts are these. Whilst the Conference was pitting, Mr. 3l%yd George approached the Greek delegates, and asked-them whether the Greek army could smash the Kemalists. The reply was: "Yes, in three months, if the' Greek larmy was given a free hand." Thereupon Mr. Lloyd George secretly intimated, through Mr. Philip Kerr, that "the Conference proposals need not be taken too seriously, and that an immediate Greek, offensive would suit the British book admirably." The Greek forces immediately advanced, and, by the first week in April, were defeated. Three months later the Greeks again advanced. They won a victory. Mr. Lloyd George was jubilant. tie declared that the Treaty of Sevres was now a thing of the past, and that Greece was entitled to the full fruits of her victory. "You cannot expect," he exclaimed "a country which has waged a successful war to be satisfied with the tame terms as a country which is prepared to forego its full claim in order to avert the terrors and risks of war." He spoke too soon. Before many days had passed the Greeks were 'heavily defeated on the Sakaria, an* by the end of September were back again on their old lines. The Frank-lin-Bouillon agreement (described in last week's article) in October was another heavy blow, and, following on the advice of Lord Curzon, tendered on October 27, the Greek Government decided to place itself in the hands of the Allies "whose joint mediation the .British Government .would try 'to obtain., '.LOR D CIMON • AT", CANtfEjS. The New Year opened gloomily foi the Greeks: " The Turkish Army, remhnitioned by tbe French, was in' a *po"sition of great*-'military stre^gtii... The Greek forces, weakened and disheartened, saw little in front of- them but- humiliation ; arid ■ disaster. In these circumstances, on January 12, 1922, Mr. Lloyd George, Lord Curzon, and M. Gounaris met at Cannes.. , ; Mi\ Lloyd George r . urged J.., Gounaris' "to place himself, entirely in the hands of Lord Curzon.".. ...This he agreed to do, naturally expecting that as a consequence :"the British Government would do something to extricate,;the Greek army from its difficult position. But Mr. Lloyd George is a bad companion to go tiger-shooting with,; ail perhaps M. Gounaris realised on that cold November day when the , unfortunate Greek Statesman faced, the rifles of the firing party. French and British policies were in conflict as to the future of the Straits. France wanted to restore Constantinople,-the Straits, and Eastern ; Thrace to Turkey; but to this«the-British Government .demurred* and, until this matter was settled, was not averse, apparently, to the Greek army reinaining in.;Asia-. , ,._.., ; , : ■-,:.- ;._.,.■■ THE-GOUNARIS In February/M.- Gounaris, knowing how ; : serious '' the position was, .came' to Tj London and endeavoured to see Mr. Llloyd George. - But- Mr. Lloyd George refused to see him on the ground that, the matter ■was', in,.the. h&nds; of Lord Curzon." On February 15; therefore, M. Gounaris, writing from the Greek Legation, addressed a piteous letter to Lord Curzon; -,'■ :■;■' .! r - ~ He pointed out that the Greek Government, having placed Itself in the hands of the Allies, had "strained its energies to keep the Greek army in its present position." But the army "had remained more or less constantly mobilised for the past nine years"; war-weariness was : supervening; •hardships were increasing;; the finan-

By F. SEYMOUR I COCKS, in Scots' "Forward" ' >, (Continued from last week)

eial resources of the 'country'were "completely exhausted." These difficulties "must needs prove insuperable, for Greece,, if she is left, to her own 1 resources." '....'.'. > Further, the campaigning season in Asia Minor was approaching; the Turks had been reinforced in men and '.'supplies,'"'arid the Greek command had stated that they were unable "to cope with the contingency of a Turkish bfferisive," unless they receive (1) Reinforcements, (2) war supplies, (3) financial assistance. "Unless' these conditions w are fulfilled the command considers that the impending, Turkish offensive will expose tbe army to very serious dangers, and. urgently requests that the above'measures be instantly taken, or,,should they prove to be impracticable, that an ordei* be instantly given" for , "a. . withdra-wal while there is yet time. . ... . Such a withdrawal must necessarily amount to a complete evacuation of Asia Minor."' ■'.;.'.'■■■ ' "I should be failing in my duty to . my country,", concludes M. GOunariji, "were I to omit fully- and frankly to put the situation before the; Power on Whose friendship the Greet race has ever confidently relied."' >■' Here was a letter of the gravest' possible importance. The Greeks, having placed themselves, in the handis of the British' Government, tell Lord Curzon .that unless they are supported they must withdraw. ' What are they to do? One can imagine the care with which any normal Cabinet would consider such a communication. . But what actually happened? . . The letter was received.by the Foreign Office on February 16, and was circulated to the Cabinet on February .24. Yet sd little attention was paid to it that Minister after Minister, including Lord Birkenhead, Sir Robert Home, Mr. Austen Chamberlain; and Mr.: Lloyd George himself subsequent- , ly declared that they had no recollection of having'even seen it. ... LORD CUItZON SAYS."STAY."' Having kept : this letter for nearly three weeks, Lord Curzon replied, on March 6, expressing the hope that the military position' was less critical than M. Gounaris seemed to think, and that the ''patriotism and discipline of the Hellenic armies" would not fail in any emergency that might arise. An Allied Conference would be held in )?aris shortly, and he hoped that at this Conference a solution ■ would be found which would relieve M. Gounaris "of the more serious apprehensions by which you are assailed." -As" Lord Birkenhead' subsequently remarked, if this advice did not mean "stay, at least, for the'present," ho did not understand the ; meaning" of words ■Yet•■•here:'*again•> this."letter was bo lightly considered th.?,t half-ardozen Cabinet Ministers afterwards declared ■that they had r fior gotten-, alloabout It—-" Indeed;;.that they didn't remombor it at/ all: ' Thuis axe.the.affairs of; State -conducted by. 1 the v : oh4y-:'Partie'*i:whb ; are really "fit to -govern/ '; Lord Curzon got his Conference at the end of the month? 'Representatives of Britain, France.'and Italy met at Paris/ The 'pfovMbris of the Sevres treaty were slashed t to'pieces.' Turkey -was' to have' the wfible of Asia Minor. • Greece was' to .be compensated, for her but %&s to clear put. ' The ffeedom of the -Was |o be to 'an 1/Ulied garrison at Gailipoli. - Eastern' Thrace, was to. be" divided between Turkey and Greece in such a way that the Turkish city ofAdfianople would fall to Greece, and the Greek town of Rodosto to Turkey". k " Thus'both sides would be iiTitated equally. The plan was still-born. • . Neither Greece nor Turkey wotild accept it. Prolonged negotiations . followed. Turkey demanded the evacuation of Smyrna by the' Greeks as a preHminary t to an agreement. Greece refused'to'go until the terms of the ! agf were fixed/ . France and Italy , supported the : Greeks. Intrigue followed intrigue. , At Genoa, Sir Worthirigton Evans'told L M.' Gounaris that' it was desirable that the Greek arriiy ' should remain in Asia for the time. ; Stories of* Turkish " atrocities became current. Lord Curfgon stated that if Angora refused to ailow officers to inquire into these atrocities the British would "have to recousider then 1 whole attitude towards the peace Field-Marshal' Sir Henry Wilson asked, through the columns of the. "Daily Mail," whether anyone could' tell him why Mr. Lloyd George backed tbe Greeks? "Was, it to please Zaharoff?" France suggested another Conference. The British Government interposed delays. Fethi Bey came from

Angora to London peace." Lord Curzoa and other Ministers refused to see him. The Greeks proclai_ed- Smyrna and the adjacent --regions -. to be tfc'e-:•-. "autonomous" State of lona, ; and announced their intention (July 29) of bringing about a decision by marching on Constantinople. . This latter 1 the Allies (including Britain) forbade them to do, hut a : week after ; Mr! Lloyd .George- rose In the House of Commons and deliver,6(l a passionate speech in which: he Vilified the Turks and .glorified the Greeks*/ {Whatever the intention of this speech may have been, it was widely interpreted as meaning that Britain was again about to take an active part in the game, and to come out in support of Greece. It was received with enthusiasm at Athens, and passages from it were published id the Greek army Orders of the Day. "The Greek press assumed, with very good logic," said the "Times," "thai the British GoYertment is committed afresh to partisanship in favour of the Greeks." And whilst the British Premier was encouraging the Greeks with words, France and Italy were busily supplying the Turks with munitions. THE GAMBLERS' LAST THROW. . Such a situation could not last. Something was bound to snap.' Fethi Bey, unable to obtain access to British Ministers, left London in disgust. But before he left he telegraphed to Angora, "Attack." Everyone knows the sequel. The Turks attacked on August 28. The Greeks were utterly defeated. Smyrna was entered on "September 9. And then Mr. Lloyd George, with the desperation-of a ruined gam-, bier, conceived his last and most criminal p?.an—that of plunging the whole Empire into war. Incident followed incident in breathless succession: the S.O.S. call to the Dominions —the movements of troops—the crisis of Chanak. At any moment during the Chanak crisis the slightest incident, the firing of a single shot, might have precipitated the nation into war. If rumour be true, certain members of the Cabinet were bitterly disappointed that such an incident did not occur. But Kemal kept his head; General Harrington proved himself a wise and -skilful negotiator, and on October 11 an armistice was signed at Mudania. On November 19 Mr. Lloyd George Was thrown from power (never, it is to be hoped, to regain it), -and ten j days later the pitiful victims of his policy, tbe Greek- Ministers, were sbot at Athens.

THE CONCLUDING ARTICLE OF THIS SERIES WILL APPEAR NEXT WEEK.