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Show AMBASSADOR ELKUS ! 01IE TO REPORT Officials Alarmed Over the Plight of Americans in Turkey. WASHINGTON", Feb. 14. Another inquiry in-quiry was sent 'by tiie state department today to Ambassador Elkns at Constantinople Constanti-nople to develop why he had not been able to repoit about the marooned Americans Ameri-cans detained in Asia Minor. Since the break wit h Germany no word has been allowed to reach this country either from Constantinople or Sofia. Tt deve loped today that thf naval collier col-lier Caesar, loaded with a quarter of a million dollars' worth of food supplies contributed con-tributed by Americans for Syrians and Armenians, and the crusier Des "Moines, with a ear fro of medical supplies, both bound for Beirut, have been ordered held at Alexandria indefinitely by the navv department. de-partment. After the break with .Germany, officials offi-cials here decided it was essential to keep the two vessels from entering a Turkish port until sufficient guarantees had .been obtained that they would come to no harm. Much surprise exists here over the cutting cut-ting off of all communication with Turkey Tur-key a,nd Bulgaria, where the United States is responsible not- only for extensive American interests, but also is representing represent-ing some of the belligerent powers. The. plight of the thousand Americans who have been detained more than a year by the Turkish military authorities despite de-spite assurances of the Turkish roreign office that they would be released is arousing alarm here because the whole section is largely destitute of food and is known to he infected with disease. Turkey, after peremptory demands, agreed to allow tiie Americans to leave, but thq Turkish military director there refused for a long time on the ground that the refugees would take away mill-tan- information. Both the Des Moines and. the Caesar were en route to rescue the Americans when the break with Germany threw all the arrangements into confusion. Intimations Intima-tions also have heen received that the Turks intended to hamper or totally prevent pre-vent distribution of the Caesar's relief supplies if they could. |