Greece and the Allies

and the Allies 1914-1922, by G. F.
Abbott

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Title: Greece and the Allies 1914-1922
Author: G. F. Abbott
Release Date: September 19, 2007 [EBook #22677]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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AND THE ALLIES 1914-1922 ***

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GREECE AND THE ALLIES
1914-1922

BY
G. F. ABBOTT

BY THE SAME AUTHOR
SONGS OF MODERN GREECE MACEDONIAN FOLKLORE THE
TALE OF A TOUR IN MACEDONIA GREECE IN EVOLUTION
(ED.) TURKEY IN TRANSITION TURKEY, GREECE, AND THE
GREAT POWERS UNDER THE TURK IN CONSTANTINOPLE

WITH A PREFACE BY
ADMIRAL MARK KERR, C.B., M.V.O.
LATE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ROYAL HELLENIC
NAVY AND HEAD OF THE BRITISH NAVAL MISSION TO
GREECE

METHUEN & CO. LTD.
36 ESSEX STREET W.C.
LONDON

First published in 1922

{v}
PREFACE

The late convulsions in Greece and Turkey, and the consequent revival
of all the mis-statements which, during the War, flowed from ignorance
or malice, render the publication of this book particularly opportune.
Mr. Abbott deals with his subject in all its aspects, and presents for the
first time to the British public a complete and coherent view of the
complicated circumstances that made Greece, during the War, the
battle-ground of rival interests and intrigues, from which have grown
the present troubles.
In this book we get a clear account of the little-understood relations
between the Greek and the Serb; of the attitude of Greece towards the
Central Powers and the Entente; of the dealings between Greece and
the Entente and the complications that ensued therefrom. Mr. Abbott
traces the evil to its source--the hidden pull of British versus French
interests in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the open antagonism
between M. Venizelos and King Constantine.
All these subjects are of acute interest, and not the least interesting is
the last.
The persecution of King Constantine by the Press of the Allied
countries, with some few good exceptions, has been one of the most
tragic affairs since the Dreyfus case. Its effect on the state of Europe
during and since the War is remarkable. If King Constantine's advice
had been followed, and the Greek plan for the taking of the Dardanelles
had been carried out, the war would probably have been shortened by a
very considerable period, Bulgaria and Rumania could have been kept
out of the War, and probably the Russian Revolution and collapse
would not have taken place; for, instead of having Turkey to assist
Bulgaria, the Allied forces would have been between and separating
these two countries. {vi}
In this case King Constantine would not have been exiled from his
country, and consequently he would not have permitted the Greek
Army to be sent to Asia Minor, which he always stated would ruin
Greece, as the country was not rich enough or strong enough to
maintain an overseas colony next to an hereditary enemy like the Turk.

It is illuminating to remember that the Greek King's policy was fully
endorsed by the only competent authorities who had a full knowledge
of the subject, which was a purely military one. These were the late
Field-Marshal Lord Kitchener of Khartoum, the British Admiral at the
head of the Naval Mission in Greece, and Colonel Sir Thomas
Cuninghame, British Military Attaché in Athens; but the advice
tendered by these three officers was disregarded in favour of that given
by the civilians, M. Venizelos and the Allied Ministers.
Mr. Abbott's book will do much to enlighten a misled public as to the
history of Greece during the last nine years, and many documents
which have not hitherto been before the public are quoted by him from
the official originals, to prove the case.
For the sake of truth and justice, which used to flourish in Great Britain,
I hope that this book will be read by everyone who has the welfare of
the British Empire at heart.
MARK KERR
4 October, 1922

{vii}
AUTHOR'S PREFACE
As this work goes to press, the British Empire finds itself forced to
vindicate its position in the East: a position purchased at the cost of
much blood and treasure during the war, to be jeopardized after the
conclusion of peace by the defeat of Greece and the defection of
France.
In the following pages the reader will find the sequence of events
which have inevitably led up to this crisis: