OCR Text |
Show Many Tricks Employed To Place Turkey on Side of Germany, Newspapers Say CONSTANTINOPLE, Tuesday, Jan. 20. Turkey entered the war on Germany's side after the cabi-inet cabi-inet had decided to join the allies, according to statements before a secret parliamentary committee published by the newspapers. Tho machinations of the war party, led by Enver Pasha, who as minister of 1914, were responsible for the change of front. When the war broke out, the newspapers say, the majority 'of I the Turkish cabinet was friendly j io the entente. The war party, i however, began attempts to per-i per-i suade-a sufficient number of min-! min-! isters that Turkey should acquire I the German cruiser Goeben to take the place of Turkish ships which had been requisitioned by England. Objection was made that the Goeben, which arrived here in August, 1911, after fleeing flee-ing from allied warships in the Mediterranean, would attack Russian Rus-sian vessels while under Turkish j colors, but Enver Pasha declared the commander of the cruiser had pledged himself not to make any such attack. Decision was reached by the cabinet to oppose Germany in the warjand it was agreed that when Turkey took her stand on the side j of the entente the Goeben and her sister ship, the Breslau, should be bombarded by the Bosphorus forts. Enver Pasha, however, made secret arrangements with the Germans and the Goeben Joined the Black sea fleet, even the grand vizier being kept in ignorance ig-norance of this move. On August j 29, 1911, the Goeben while flying tho Turkish flag attacked and de- stroyed two Russian ships. This act brought about Turkey's alignment align-ment against the entente and several sev-eral members of the cabinet resigned. re-signed. The facts were misrepresented misrepre-sented by the censors and the Turkish public, even tho sultan believed be-lieved for several years that the Russians attacked the Turks. |