The New York Times Current History, A Monthly Magazine: The European War, March 1915Various
History
The New York Times Current History, A Monthly Magazine: The European War, March 1915
Various
World War, 1914-1918
But we Turks have been used to injustices; and it has become
an axiom in history that whenever there is trouble in any
part of the world we must be the ultimate sufferers. It
seems that this time, too, "our friends" felt like repeating
the same story; but now we are not to be caught napping, and
the Government, having in time mobilized the army, is ready
for every emergency.
_On Sept. 27 a Turkish destroyer having been stopped by a British
destroyer outside the Dardanelles, the Turkish Government ordered the
straits closed to all shipping._
_The Turkish Government tried to justify in the official press of
Constantinople the measure of closing the straits by declaring that
this important step was undertaken only after a Franco-British fleet
had established an actual blockade of the straits to the detriment of
Turkish commerce and neutral navigation. The Government organ, The
Tasfiri-Efkiar, said:_
The powers are trying to justify the mobilization of Switzerland, and
are making a great case of Belgian neutrality, but meantime they
consider our mobilization as having no other purpose than an
aggression against our neighbors.
Now, if the neutrality of Switzerland, which is guaranteed by all the
powers, is likely to be endangered, how is it possible for us to
remain calm and undisturbed in this universal upheaval, so long as we
know that to annoy and continually harass Turkey according to the
fancies of Europe has well-nigh become a sort of fashion?
Those powers that are dissatisfied at our mobilization are eager to
find our anxiety as without foundation for the mere reason that our
territorial integrity remains under the guarantee of all the powers.
But where was that guarantee when Tripoli and Cyrenaica were attacked
in a way little differing from open brigandage? And was it not the
same powers who forgot their guaranties in the Balkan Peninsula when
they abolished the famous status quo? With such facts before us is it
not ridiculous to speak of European guaranties? While we have now
before us what happened to Belgium, why should our mobilization excite
such widespread indignation? All we are trying to do is to safeguard
and protect our interests and protect ourselves from aggression on the
part of the Balkan States.
WAR DECLARED.
_On Oct. 29, 1914, the attack of the Turkish forces upon Russia and
England was delivered. Following is the official Turkish version of
the events leading to the rupture of diplomatic relations between
Turkey and the Triple Entente, contained in the first Turkish
communique of the war, appearing in the Turkish press on Oct. 31,
1914:_
While on the 27th of October a small part of the Turkish fleet was
manoeuvring in the Black Sea, the Russian fleet, which at first
confined its activities to following and hindering every one of our
movements, finally, on the 29th, unexpectedly began hostilities by
attacking the Ottoman fleet.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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