ARMENIAN BORDER

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 27 October 1939, Page 5

ARMENIAN BORDER

TURKEY CONCENTRATING , TROOPS t > ti i DISPUTE WITH THE SOVIET t . IU.P.A.—By Elect tto Telegraph— Copyright ’ LONDON, 26th October. r The “Daily Mail’s” Istanbul correspondent says Turkey is reported to have concentrated 300.000 picked troops around the towns of Kars and Ardahan on the Armenian border. A Soviet Embassy official said that the Armenian border dispute can be settled by negotiation. The Russian > minority there is well treated and the i matter therefore is not cause for break- ■ in ß the friendship between Turkey and ■ Russia. 5 The Rome correspondent of the Brit- » ish Associated Press says it is reported ' that representatives of Turkey, Iran, i Iraq and Afghanistan are conferring at , Istanbul. They are co-signatories of the . Saadabad Pact, which was designed to . prevent Soviet expansion to the Darda- . nelles and Persian Gulf. SINKING OF ATHENIA THE FIFTH VERSION (Daventry Broadcast) LONDON, 26th October. Still another version of the sinking of the Athenia has been made public, the latest reason being that the Athenia was regarded by the Germans as the world’s richest wreck.” Commenting on the matter, Daventry stated last night that the first and authentic statement was issued by the Bntish Admiralty, which announced that the vessel was sunk by a German submarine. The other three versions were all inyentions of Dr. Goebbels. and were(l) Britain sank the Athenia to drag America into the war, (2) it was destroyed by a time-bomb hidden on board the ship, and (3) it was shelled bv Rritish destroyers. The fifth version comes from the New York “Daily News.” According to this, says Daventry. the Athenia was nink by a German submarine because it carried £12.000.000 worth of gold and securities. Evidence in support of this is alleged to have come from tvo German salvage companies and the German Diplomatic Corps in Washington, which stated that the Athenia was a marked vessel by salvage companies as it was considered the world’s richest wreck. As a footnote to the newspapers’ report, however, it is recalled that Dr. Goebbels alleged in his suggestion that Britain was responsible that the Athenia had been sunk in deep water and out of diving depth so that it could not be nroved how the vessel met her fate. FINNISH DELEGATION RETURN FROM MOSCOW rr , HELSINKI, 26th October. Ibe Finnish delegation has arrived from Moscow I) r Pnasikivi brought back the entire delegation, surprising the Finns, since it was expected that the economic experts would remain in Moscow. WILL NOT YIELD TO CERTAIN DEMANDS (Received 27th October. 10.20 a.m.) HELSINKI, 26th October. A Foreign Office spokesman said there were certain Soviet demands to which Finland cannot yield, but doubtless the negotiations will continue.