The blight of Asia : $b An account of the systematic extermination of Christian populations by Mohammedans and of the culpability of certain great powers; with the true story of the burning of SmyrnaHorton, George
History
The blight of Asia : $b An account of the systematic extermination of Christian populations by Mohammedans and of the culpability of certain great powers; with the true story of the burning of Smyrna
Horton, George
Christians -- Turkey; Fires -- Turkey -- İzmir; Greeks -- Turkey; Turkey; İzmir (Turkey) -- History
This is plain talk and—horrible. The question that naturally arises in
the mind of any decent American is, what, if anything, was the United
States, the great Christian country, the hope of the world and fountain
of missionary activities, doing while all this was going on? What
influence was she using, what resounding note of protest and horror was
she giving utterance to?
Various historical events connected with the French pro-Turk, but really
anti-English activities, are interesting to the student of diplomatic
psychology, and the ease with which peoples can be influenced in their
predilections and hatreds by those governing them.
At a critical period of the War, on the Balkan front, the Allies demanded
the demobilization of the Greek army, the surrender of half of the Greek
fleet and a great part of the Greek artillery. King Constantine, after
his successful campaigns in the Balkans, had become an object of almost
divine worship to the Greeks, and the Allies were afraid of him. On
December 2, 1916, a party of French Marines marched into Athens to take
possession of the Greek material demanded. They were fired on by Greek
soldiers and a number of French Marines were killed.
This was a most regrettable act on the part of the Greeks, and foolish.
It was more foolish to send a few foreign Marines into a capital city
to drag off its artillery and expect them to be received with open arms.
This unfortunate event is the basis to-day of deep-seated hatred of
French against Greek. G. F. Abbott, in his work, _Greece and the Allies_,
gives the results of the so-called “Battle of Athens,” as follows:
“And so the ‘pacific demonstration’ was over, having cost
the Greeks four officers and twenty-six men killed and four
officers and fifty-one men wounded. The Allied casualties were
sixty killed, including six officers, and one hundred and
seventy-six wounded.”
On April 10, 1920, the Khemalists treacherously massacred the French
garrison at Urfa, killing one hundred and ninety men and wounding about
one hundred more, and on October 20, 1921, Franklin Bouillon, in the
name of the French Republic signed a separate treaty with the Turks.
Immediately after the burning of Smyrna he rushed to the still-smoking
city and, seizing Mustapha Khemal in his arms, kissed him.
This kiss of Franklin Bouillon has become historic, and while bearing no
resemblance to a certain other famous and sinister caress, deserves to
rank with it as one of the two most famous kisses in sacred and profane
history.
CHAPTER XXVI
MASSACRE OF THE FRENCH GARRISON AT URFA
The facts of the massacre of the French garrison at Urfa, obtained from
original sources, took place under the following conditions:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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