ملف ١٩١٦/٣٥٧٩ "تركيا: مستقبل القسطنطينية" [و‎‎٥‎٣] (٥٣٠/١١٤)

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> oxo it omen t in Indio, I s- ould -newer deoidodly in tho negative. I do
not think th-t P.-.n-Isluiiivem hc.s ^ny lly subetejatial hold in India
at all*
How, ooming to the end, whe-t I have 3c.id would indioate that
in my judgmont, for wh^t it is worth, tho urgnments in favour of
seizing this opportunity on jolting rid of the Turk altogether
from L v aro >o, aro orodominent* That still loaves unsolved tho
question of whether there is to be a condominium or v.hother it is
to bo the Amofio t ,n.8. .Perhaps the authorities hero, who aro
nuch oeiter qualified tnan 1 would toll mo what aro tho
kinds of limitations that could bo a^cod upon thoir exorcise
of authority. V/ould it bo -ossible, if you put the .Americans
thoro (I am assuming that the Turks havo gono) to place them There
with a'sort of municipal ccministration . f Constantino'lc, with a
force thi.t Vvould on ble them to police the City and such surrounding
districts as T/vrc loft, with vsuch naval foroo, ^'d±n, ts would on^blc
them to patrol tho waters of tho Straits, end so on, with no foc.rs
of their thus orOuting a considerable naval force, in fact to allow
or invite the Americans simply to discharge the functions of
proserving law and order and oonduc .ing locul , dministrution within
that
tht-t area? I cannot mys ;lf soo thaty need necessarily bo impossible;
but it is not acco 'ted in any of the .npers end therefore I
venture merely to uUggest thu idea*
There is tho last su gostion of all, which is strongly favoured
by tho wt,r Office in thofr paper, and which also, X ; ,.thor, is tho
viov; of tho Government of Im. i •, v nd that is to louvo the Turk alone
Intsrnationclizo tho Straits, knock down tho forts, louVo tho Suiten
lo-.vo tho Seraglio, loavo the Sublime iorto, l.a vo -11 thy venerable-
relics ef tho lest five huixdrod yo.. rs in Constantinople, deprive him
of all real military powur, end nsume th/t, chastened by discstor
and inca >aoitate& by v»oakno"S, ho will be u com j ratively respect, ble
man ixi the future* hut is o solution which the w. r Office recommond,
and which, on ground- urtly olitical and a rtly -ntimental a
good many others favour* I confess th-t I am entirely ..gainst it*