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Show CRANE TELLS OE HIS VISIT IN DAMASCUS Ex-Ambassador Accused By, French, Says State Department De-partment Suppressed j'AKjsi, .iay ih t ny tne Associated Associat-ed Press) The French foreign oifue has no knowledge of the reported con-jvictlon con-jvictlon of Charles R. Crane, former I American minister to China. by a Trench military court In Damascus on j a charge of Inciting to not OS reported I in press dispatches, it was stated to- day. Troubles In Syria were provoked bj ("Injudicious talk' b Mr (.rune, foreign for-eign officials eaid, but up to the present pres-ent they had not information regard-ling regard-ling condemnation, Mr. Crane said he was confident the I report of his conviction was an error. SIT EXPLAINED In explaining his visit to Syria. Mr Crane said. My reception by the people of Damascus Da-mascus was entirely friendly Th J asked why their wishes made known 1 to the mandates in Turkey three yeai ago had never been heard from. They .said that since that time on account of severe French censorship. they hnd I not boon able to make, their voice I heard by the outsldo world. 1 RB3f B UNPOPULAR "Whatever demonstration they made WSS to make me understand thai their 'feelings against the French mandate I were stronger than ever. They hoped I I carried their message out." Following a street demonstration. Mr Crane said "the chief of police, a native who had been terrorizing I .i - I mas' ever since the Kretn h occupbd It, used machine guns on unarm-.! P-ople and some of the leading men of Damascus were sent to prison for long terms without trial. "All these Incidents were forese. n , ami indicated in the report on mandates man-dates and great Injustice has been done Iboth to the Syrians and to conservative 'French pcopl- as well as our own missionaries mis-sionaries and educators by the suppression sup-pression of that report by our slate depa rtment." |