File No. 763.72/1222
The British Ambassador (Spring Rice) to the Secretary of State
His Britannic Majesty’s Ambassador presents his compliments to the Secretary of State of the United States, and with reference to the memorandum from the Secretary of State dated the 11th instant has the honour to transmit herewith copy of a telegram which he has just received from His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in regard to the threat of a Turkish officer at Damascus of a possible massacre of Christians should an open town in Syria be bombarded.
Sir Cecil Spring Rice would be glad to learn whether it is possible to send instructions in the sense indicated to the United States Consul General.
[Received November 16.]
[Enclosure]
The British Foreign Office to the British Ambassador in the United States (Spring Rice)
His Majesty’s Government are at a loss to understand the threat of the Army Corps Commander at Damascus that he will shoot three British or French subjects for every Mussulman killed by the bombardment of an open town.
The British forces have not so far fired upon any open town and it is not their habit to do so unless they are attacking an armed force of the enemy. Should any massacre of Christians or killing of British subjects in cold blood take place, His Majesty’s Government will hold any individual Turkish or other officer who orders it responsible.
His Majesty’s Government would be grateful if the United States Government would transmit a message in the above sense to the United States Consul General at Beirut for communication to the Turkish authorities.1
- Repeated to the Ambassador in Turkey November 21, No. 61.↩