867.4016/732: Telegram
The High Commissioner at Constantinople (Bristol) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 16—8:10 a.m.]
326. Department’s 245, November 7, 2 p.m., and 253, November 10, 6 p.m.28 Following is aide-memoire handed by me to Hamid Bey on November 4th: [Page 959]
“The American High Commission has been informed that the Nationalist authorities at Samsun have proclaimed that all Greeks and Armenians must leave within the period of one month under penalty of being deported into the interior and that the Near East Relief has been ordered to evacuate immediately its orphans and its Christian employees. These declarations if they are accurately reported would seem to indicate an intention to expel the entire Christian population of Eastern Anatolia. However Admiral Bristol cannot believe that the Great National Assembly has actually adopted such a line of conduct. He is more disposed to believe that the above-mentioned declarations may be attributed to either an inaccurate report or to the excess of zeal on the part of the local officials. It is impossible to conceive that the Great National Assembly or the Council of Ministers would deliberately two weeks before the reunion of the conference of peace initiate a policy which would create more than a million refugees and which would place further obstacles in the way of the solution of the present complicated situation in the Near East. Besides Admiral Bristol is of the opinion that the harmful effect of such measures on Turkey itself cannot be questioned.”
Following is note verbale sent Hamid Bey on November 8th:
“The American High Commissioner has the honor to refer to his aide-memoire dated November 4, 1922, in which he called the attention of His Excellency Hamid Bey to certain information he had received concerning the apparent intention of the Government of Great National Assembly to evacuate the Christian population from Anatolia.
With further reference to the above memorandum, the American High Commissioner has the honor to inform His Excellency, Hamid Bey, that he is in entire accord with the sentiments expressed by the Allied High Commissioners in the note verbale which they addressed to His Excellency, Hamid Bey, on November 6, 1922, the contents of which are as follows:
The High Commissioners of France, Great Britain and Italy have learned that the Government of the Great National Assembly insists on the immediate departure of children of Greek and Armenian origin who are now maintained in the orphanages of the Near East Relief in Anatolia.
They have learned also that it is the intention of the Government of the Great National Assembly to evacuate in a period of from 15 to 30 days the entire Greek and Armenian population of Western [Eastern?] Anatolia. They hear that the Greek and Armenian inhabitants of the Black Sea coast have already been notified of this decision; and that it is even the intention of the Government of the Great National Assembly to eventually apply this same measure to the population of Constantinople.
The consequences, if only from the point of view of humanity of such a measure being applied to a population of between one and two million people cannot be disregarded by the Government of the Great National Assembly. Its application would be the more to be regretted on the eve of a conference where the world hopes the basis will be laid for a just and durable peace in the Near East.
The High Commissioners have therefore the honor to beg His Excellency Hamid Bey to be so good as to bring the proposed measure urgently to the knowledge of the Great National Assembly at Angora and to express the hope of the undersigned that this measure, even if it has been contemplated, will be canceled or at least that the period indicated will be prolonged so that the question of the future of these populations can be discussed at the peace conference. Signed by Pellé, Garroni, Rumbold.”
No official reply to above-quoted communications received as yet from Angora although Hamid Bey informed me several days ago he had received a reply to my aide-memoire and would forward me copy as soon as translation made. He read me the reply however which was to the effect that no order of expulsion had been issued by Angora Government but simply a permission for Christians to leave within one month. He stated many of these people had wished to leave for a long time but for military reasons had been prohibited from so doing prior to Mudania convention. The military exigency having now passed no reason seen by Angora Government to retain those who wished to go. I took up this question with Refet Pasha, who is acting as Hamid Bey’s successor during latter’s absence at Lausanne, yesterday and his statements coincided with those of Hamid Bey. Refet stated no necessity for order of expulsion existed as Christians had wished to leave for a long time. Speaking of Constantinople he complained that British press accused him of having ordered expulsion of Christians which was [due?] entirely to the thousands leaving at present of their own free will and stated that should he prohibit their departure it would create a worse situation than letting those who wished go voluntarily. I told Refet that in Anatolia the permission referred to was being misconstrued as an order and that should such an impression gain headway it would result in rush to coast of thousands of people in a state of panic and would create just as bad a situation as an actual order of expulsion and I suggested that Angora authorities take measures to correct this impression.
Refet assured me he would immediately wire his Government in this sense.
My information indicates no order of expulsion or even permission for Christians to leave Constantinople has been as yet promulgated by local Turkish authorities and those leaving at present are doing so voluntarily and in the same frame of mind as the recent exodus of the Christian population from Eastern Thrace. Some of those that I know have left are people who would leave any country under such circumstances because of past political activities.
Statement in British memorandum29 referred to in the Department’s telegram above mentioned, concerning deportation of Christian men between 15 and 45, is [sic] to the best of my information, refers to those males held as prisoners of war at Smyrna, reports of which have already been sent Department. Situation in Anatolia however somewhat different from Constantinople as official permission for Christians to leave Anatolia has actually been promulgated. Mutasserif of Samsun repeated to commanding officer my destroyer [Page 961] at that place in three interviews that local Christians were ordered to leave within one month under penalty of deportation into interior and in reply to question of commanding officer repeated that this was a distinct order and not a permission alone. I have received no information to effect that similar statement has been made by officials in other places in Anatolia and this order categorically denied by Refet.
Department must be aware that should Angora Government determine to get rid of Christian population permission as mentioned above could be equally as effective as an order of expulsion if officials spread the rumor that failure to avail of this permission would entail deportation or other penalties. While I feel that Turkish Government would like to be rid repeat [sic] may be making use of the method discussed above to accomplish that end, I do not feel justified until receipt of further information as to the development of the situation in accusing the Government of such a step.