File 3579/1916 'Turkey: the future of Constantinople' [‎48r] (104/530)

constitution may have to he set up In order to rule, as well
as it could (l an afraid that it would he very badly) the City and
the adjacent areas. But I feel that it is quite unnecessary to
explore tha.t solution, because it is one, I imagine, to which
the Powers v/ould ohly be driven in the 1 au't resort.
The last suggestion is Africa, and, from th rt evidence that
has/been put before us here, we Know, firstly, that America has
been, through her missions and otherwise, warmly interested in
Constantinople for a long time, and, secondly, that th^re exists
a strong party in Constantinople, I believe, the C.U.P. and their
followers, who ) largely for interests of a selfish nature, are
anxious to bring America in, and mak* her the mandatory pow*r.
I should say in passing that I think that they are much more con
cerned in doing that in ord^r to save their own skins and to
preserve the. simulacrum of Turkish rule and authority in Europe
than they are from any regard either for the int^r-sta of their
own populations or from any sympathy with reform in the future.
But let that pass. Th-re i^'and th^r** may be a decided movement to
bring the Americans in. Whether America would accept the
responsibility I do not know. In all our discussions during th*
past f-w we*ks we have been proceeding upon the hypothesis that,
having done so much to promote th“ scheme of a League of Nationd,
America will be almost bound, in honour as well as in logic, to
tak# hax share in bearing the responsibility, "^eth^r that will
carry her so far as to assum*- ah obligation of this sort is a
question on which I have- always had v-ry grav* doubt myself, but
which no doubt we aha11 see r-'solved in th* course of th* next few
weeks. I do not therefore attempt to discuss the question whether
America would bs likely to accept th~ charge if it were offered to
her.
An entirely different point is raised by the attitud* of our
Naval authorities her-, who think that the position of the American*
in any important post in the Eastern part of the Mediterranean
would be a source of naval dans-’r to this country. They feel that
whatever arrangements were made in advance, wnatever
restrictions were imposed as regards military or naval
L.