Quake, Not War, Causes Turk Alarm

Northern Advocate, 26 February 1940, Page 6

Quake, Not War, Causes Turk Alarm

■ LONDON, February 24. Reports that the Supreme Defence Council of Turkey has declared a state of emergency are unfounded, says a message from Istanbul. ’ As Turkey proclaimed strict control of coal and coke as the first measures under the emergency defence law, the Balkans, which are increasingly nervous, became alarmed because telephone communication with Turkey was cut off. The explanation seems to be that earthquake shocks occurred all day at the rate of 50 an hour, and there were i.lso gales which brought the death roll to 200. The river Seyhan, which flows into the Mediterranean, north of Cyprus, lias risen 1G feet, bursting its banks and inundating the town of Adana, from which the populace is fleeing in terror. Cessation of telephone communication with Turkey has brought about sensationalist rumours, says the Belgrade correspondent of the “New York Times," telephoning through Rome. German War Chiefs in Moscow These rumours were believed even in Government circles. They include reports that Colonel General von Brauchitsch, the German army com-mander-in-chief. flew to Warsaw and Moscow. As a matter of fact, a Berlin message states that German army chiefs attended a banquet at the Soviet Embassy to celebrate the Red Army anniversary. General Brauchitsch made a speech, in which he said that the whole world, particularly Germany, was following the development of the military might of the Soviet. The presence of Russian troops on Turkish territory and the massing of a considerable body of Russians in the Caucasus are also rumoured, but these reports are received with scepticism by Yugoslav military authorities. To Intimidate Balkans German propagandists are taking advantage of the situation to create the belief that the Allied forces in the Near East are endangering the peace of the Balkans. The pro-German Belgrade newspaper, “Vreme,” gives prominence to the “imminence of war in the Caucasus.” Authoritative London quarters state that there is no confirmation of reports of unrest in Turkey and no knowledge of an incident between Turkey and Russia, says a British Official Wireless message.