My Secret Service: Vienna, Sophia, Constantinople, Nish, Belgrade, Asia Minor, etc.Man who dined with the Kaiser
History
My Secret Service: Vienna, Sophia, Constantinople, Nish, Belgrade, Asia Minor, etc.
Man who dined with the Kaiser
World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives; World War, 1914-1918 -- Secret service
When war broke out he was living with his wife and three children on
the Asia Minor coast, the other side of the Bosphorus, which must be
considered a suburb of Constantinople. Nearly every business man has
only his office in Constantinople, ninety per cent. of them living on
the Asia Minor coast, which is far more healthy, clean, and agreeable.
This Belgian possessed, besides the house in which he was living, four
other houses, and a farm some 20 miles inland. He was the owner of
a motor car, three carriages, two motor boats, and a number of cows
and horses. The houses he owned were requisitioned by the Turkish
Government for hospital purposes, and they used them for the worst
cases, such as cholera, the Plague, and other dreadful diseases.
My Belgian friend was compelled to leave the house in which he was
living, and seek refuge in a hotel in Constantinople. His own house
was stripped, everything being taken away; his beautiful collection of
rifles, pistols, pictures and furniture was stolen by the soldiers. His
horses, cows, and in fact everything he had was taken away, and not
even a requisition-bond handed to him. The Turks even appropriated his
balance at the bank.
In stripping a man of his possessions, the Turk shows a thoroughness
that would make a German green with envy. The Belgian has become a poor
man who can hardly find food for his children. If it were not for some
subjects of neutral countries, who had known him before the war, he and
his family would be actually starving. The American Ambassador, Mr.
Morgenthau, to whom was entrusted the care of these people, does not
seem to be able to render them much assistance. Not only the Belgian
of whom I have just spoken, but many others, complained to me that
whenever they went to the American Embassy when something had been
stolen from them by the Turks, they were put off with the assurance
that nothing could possibly be done for them.
In all probability the French and British warship commanders
were unaware of the Turkish method of dealing with the question
of compensating the Faithful whose property had been damaged by
bombardment. Whenever a house belonging to a Turk had been demolished
by the French or British shells the property of one of the subjects
of the enemy countries then living in Turkey was confiscated, and the
owner with his family sent to the interior of Asia Minor. All his
belongings were handed over to the Turk whose property had suffered
through the bombardment.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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