Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Address of the President to Congress December 5, 1916
File No. 711.673/72
Chargé Philip to the Secretary of State
Constantinople, May 23, 1916.
Sir: With reference to my telegram No. 1762 of April 24, concerning the instructions which have been sent by the Ottoman Ministry of the Interior to the provincial authorities to avoid friction in all matters concerning American interests, I have the honor to transmit herewith a copy of a note verbale which this Embassy addressed to the Sublime Porte on the 8th instant, in order to confirm the oral statements of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and to present to the Foreign Office a number of cases in which the local authorities had acted in an arbitrary manner with respect to American consular officials and employees.
I have [etc.]
The American Embassy to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
On April 10 his excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs was good enough to inform the American Chargé d’Affaires that the Minister of the Interior had sent a circular telegraphic instruction to the different provincial authorities, directing them to avoid friction with American interests, and stating [Page 966] that with a view to the speedy and satisfactory settlement of any question which might arise from time to time in connection with American interests, all local action should be suspended until the matter under dispute could be submitted to the Sublime Porte and taken up by it with the American Embassy. His excellency Halil Bey also requested that instructions be sent to all the American consular officers in Turkey, directing them to approach all matters concerning their nationals in this same friendly spirit.
Highly appreciating the friendly attitude thus manifested by the Sublime Porte, the Embassy of the United States of America at once sent instructions of this nature to the American consular officers in Turkey, and it has been pleased to receive replies from many of them evincing relations of the most cordial character between them and the local authorities. This Embassy has likewise brought to the knowledge of its Government this oral communication of his excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs, which will undoubtedly be received with much satisfaction.
In this connection, and with a view to showing how necessary the said instructions to the provincial authorities were, the American Embassy has the honor to draw the attention of the Imperial Ministry to a few of the cases which occurred prior to the issuance of these instructions, and which concern American consular officials and employees only:
- 1.
- The dragoman of the American consular agency at Alexandretta, Mr. Ashjian, was subjected on different occasions during 1914 and 1915 to the search of his house by the local police. Finally, about October 15 last he was arrested by the said police and sent to Aleppo for deportation to an unknown destination. In spite of the efforts of the American Consul at Aleppo on his behalf, and notwithstanding the repeated and categorical instructions of the Sublime Porte to the local authorities, he was nevertheless exiled about November 15 to some destination beyond Aleppo.
- 2.
- The dragoman of the American Consulate at Bagdad was arrested about the middle of January of the current year, and after being held under arrest for about a month was brought to trial before the court martial, and acquitted of the charge against him. Prior to this arrest his house had also been searched by the police.
- 3.
- Two cavasses of the American Consulate General in Constantinople were arrested by the local police on March 4 and 6, 1916, and were sent before the court martial, charged with interfering with certain men in civilian clothes who, it transpired later, belonged to the police detective service, while the latter were engaged with the arrest of some Italian subjects in the building in which the Consulate General is located. This charge against the cavasses was totally unsubstantiated by the court martial when the case came to a hearing, but not before they had remained under detention until March 25.
- 4.
- By its notes of March 29 and 31, Nos. 1335 and 1342, this Embassy had the honor to bring to the urgent attention of the Imperial Ministry the legal action which was instituted against Mr. William Brewster, acting American Consular Agent at Alexandretta, in his official capacity as an American consular official. This case has not yet been satisfactorily settled.
- 5.
- Mr. Antoine T. Gelat, dragoman of the American Consulate at Jerusalem for nearly twenty years, has been compelled by the local authorities to leave that city and to proceed to Damascus. From Damascus he was sent on to Aleppo, and the Embassy is now informed that he has left Tarsous en route to Angora. Mr. Gelat has always been an universally respected resident of Jerusalem, and this Embassy is convinced that the measure of deportation which has been applied in his case is the result of a misunderstanding on the part of the local authorities. Pending the further consideration of his case, the Imperial Ministry has been requested to have Mr. Gelat authorized to come to Constantinople.
- 6.
- On several occasions the attention of the Sublime Porte was verbally drawn to the action of the local authorities at Aleppo and Mersina in establishing a police surveillance over all persons who call at the American Consulates in those two cities. This Embassy has since been informed that this practice has been stopped, thanks to the instructions sent by the Sublime Porte to the local authorities.
- 7.
- While awaiting the completion of the formalities required for his official recognition as American Consular Agent at Adrianople, Mr. Charles Allen was subjected to many petty annoyances on the part of the local authorities. He was refused permission to travel to Kirk Kilisseh, in order to attend to relief payments to the various belligerent subjects at that place. On several occasions [Page 967] the local telegraph office refused to accept his telegrams addressed to this Embassy, and a number of telegrams sent to him by the Embassy were not delivered to him, solely for the reason that his official character was indicated upon them. Many difficulties were also raised when Mr. Allen was granted leave of absence to come to Constantinople, and not till a month later was a travelling permit recognizing his official character as an American consular official issued to him. At the time of his departure his cavas was not allowed to accompany him to Constantinople, nor even to go so far as the railway station at Karagatch, although many Ottoman subjects are freely allowed to cross the frontier.
In presenting the foregoing cases in which the local authorities of different parts of the Empire have acted towards American consular officials and employees in a manner incompatible with international courtesy and established usage, or with the friendly relations existing between the Sublime Porte and the American Embassy, the latter has the honor to request the Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs to find remedies for such of these cases as have not yet reached a solution, notably Nos. 1, 4, and 5, so that the provincial authorities may fully appreciate the desire of the Sublime Porte to avoid all misunderstandings between two friendly Governments.
Constantinople, May 8, 1916.
The American Embassy to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The American Embassy is telegraphically informed by its Consul at Aleppo that legal action has been brought against Mr. William Brewster, American Consular Agent at Alexandretta, in his capacity as an American Consular official, for the sum of one thousand pounds. The grounds for this suit is stated to consist in Mr. Brewster’s refusal to deliver to the Committee of Liquidation of abandoned property the keys of the house of the Dragoman of the American Consular Agency at Alexandretta, Mr. Ashjian, as well as a quantity of pistachio nuts previously in Ashjian’s store as transit agent, but belonging in part to certain American firms and other individuals who are not Armenians.
The American Embassy has the honor to request the Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs to have urgent instructions telegraphed to the competent authorities to put an immediate stop to the aforementioned action which has been instituted against Mr. Brewster. At the same time, this Embassy reserves the further discussion of this matter until it shall have received a detailed report from its Consul at Aleppo.
Constantinople, March 29, 1916.
The American Embassy to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Referring to its note verbale No. 1335 of the 29th instant, the American Embassy has the honor to inform the Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs that it is in receipt of a further telegram from its Consul at Aleppo relative to the action brought against the American Consular Agent at Alexandretta. The Consul now communicates a report from the said Consular Agent that the Liquidation Committee have forced the iron store of Mr. Ashjian and are removing the contents for the purpose of selling them. The Consular Agent adds that he is convinced that none of the contents is Armenian property, and states that his protest to the Governor has been without effect.
The American Embassy has the honor to renew its request to the Imperial Ministry to take urgent action in this matter.
Constantinople, March 31, 1916.