File No. 763.72/1263
The Ambassador in Turkey ( Morgenthau ) to the Secretary of State
Constantinople , November 22, 1914, 9 p.m.
[Received November 26, 2 p.m.]
[Telegram]
70. Your No. 53. Secured consent and approval of Minister of War for Tennessee to visit Vourla and also exceptional privilege to remain for wireless while there. Consul General had arranged with [Page 774] Governor General for Captain Decker’s visit. Difficulty arose as explained in my numbers 47 and 63. I believe that had Tennessee bombarded strongest forts evil results to Americans would have followed.
Have repeatedly made strongest possible representations to Ottoman Government that if any missionaries or other Christians were killed they would not only forfeit friendship but probably incur the enmity of the United States. No day passes without my seeing Minister of the Interior or Minister of War or chief of police and very often I see all of them and have frequently succeeded in restraining them from taking extreme steps against English and French and daily secure [modification of?] orders. So far our missionaries have been treated properly and I have the most solemn assurances of the head of the Government of the military and civil branches of Government that nothing will happen to the Americans and they admit that nothing can happen unless directed by them.
Have never deemed it necessary to send you, an account of my unremitting efforts on behalf of the missionaries nor to send an account of the great help I have rendered the. French nuns and monks and English teachers whose expulsion would have been resorted to except for my interference.