File No. 763.72115/1585
The Ambassador in Turkey ( Morgenthau ) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 1, 1916.]
Sir: With reference to my despatch No. 578 of November 1, 1915,2reporting that the U. S. S. Des Moines had taken 102 passengers from Mersina to Rhodes, etc., I have the honor to report as follows in regard to the further movements of the American naval vessels in the eastern Mediterranean.
In my telegram No. 1184 of October 23,2 I informed the Department of the presence of a large number of belligerent subjects at [Page 830] Jaffa and Beirut, whose departure was permitted, and requested the Department to communicate with the governments concerned, so that a place or places to disembark these people could be decided upon. In the meantime the Embassy was informed by telegram both through the Department and the Legation at Athens, that the British subjects concerned would be received in Egypt (this decision was later changed to Cyprus for the British subjects). Permission was also secured for some 250 Russian Christian women pilgrims from Palestine to disembark in Egypt.
The Des Moines was therefore requested early in November to proceed from Piraeus to Jaffa, with a sum of $40,000 in gold which I had arranged to obtain in Greece, and to transport these Russian pilgrim women and expelled British subjects of Jewish race to Alexandria. Captain Blakely was also requested to ascertain the decision of the various governments as to where their nationals could be landed.
When the Des Moines arrived at Jaffa, with permission from the blockading French fleet to remain there 3 days (later extended to 11 days), it was met by Consul Glazebrook, who had gone there from Jerusalem. After some difficulties raised by the local military commander, it was allowed to land the $40,000 from Greece, and also $50,000 formerly intended for Jewish charities that had originally been taken from Alexandria on the Chester and afterwards transferred to the Des Moines.
The Commander of the Fourth Army in Syria, Djemal Pasha, laid down the essential condition that no refugees could be taken away until all the expelled belligerent Jews had first been embarked, and as the efforts of the Embassy to change this decision did not prove successful, the Des Moines proceeded to Alexandria for supplies and coal on November 19 without taking any passengers. Captain Blakely did, however, learn that the British Jews were to be taken to Cyprus, and the Russian and French to Crete, and he informed the Embassy by telegram that he would return to Jaffa on November 25 to take expelled Jews of these three nationalities, and then proceed to Beirut.
The Embassy addressed a note verbale to the Sublime Porte on November 19, copy of which is enclosed,1 in order to arrange for the further movements of these vessels along the blockaded Syrian coast. On November 24 it again wrote to the Porte to communicate further information in this connection.
The Des Moines was delayed by bad weather and did not call at Jaffa until the end of November, when it took on board a considerable number of British, French, and Russian Jews, and a few Greeks, afterwards calling at Beirut. The total numbers of each nationality from Jaffa and Beirut were as follows: British 83, French 272, Russian 70, Greek 7; total 432. The Embassy has received a telegram from Captain Blakely stating that all these people were landed in Cyprus and Crete.
The collier Caesar transported the following passengers from Jaffa to Alexandria on December 3: 15 Americans, 86 Russian women pilgrims, 4 British, and 6 Spanish. Consul Glazebrook was able to arrange locally for the departure of Americans and other neutrals [Page 831] from Jaffa, while such permission has not yet been granted for the Americans and other neutrals at Beirut, whose departure is still blocked by the standing orders of the Ottoman authorities not to allow neutrals to leave Turkey by sea (except via Vurla).
The foregoing information was communicated to the Department by my telegrams Nos. 1366 of December 5 and 1376 of December 101 Mr. Glazebrook has informed the Embassy in a despatch that a majority of the Russian Christian pilgrims decided that they preferred to remain in Jerusalem, as he had been able to arrange for them to return to their convent on the Mount of Olives, where they were quite comfortable. It will be noted that only 86 of them actually left on the Caesar.
The Embassy has been informed by the Consul General at Beirut that the Algerians and Tunisians held there would be allowed to depart, and that Captain Blakely had arranged for the collier Caesar to take them to Tunis at the end of December. If this considerable number of French subjects can thus be sent away from Beirut, the work of the Consulate General at that place will be greatly lessened. It is possible, however, that the recent move of the Government to force all foreign Moslems to join the Ottoman Army may prevent their departure.
Another complication arose at Beirut in connection with the departure of expelled belligerent Jews, as many of them were claimed, at the last moment, to have adopted Ottoman nationality. Such people were not allowed to embark on the Des Moines, and their situation with respect to financial relief was submitted to the Department, for communication to the interested governments, in my telegram No. 1371 of December 8, 1915.1
The Consul General at Beirut has informed the Embassy that there are about 150 naturalized American citizens at Beirut, of whom nearly half are of Ottoman origin. Those not of Ottoman origin can probably secure permission to leave in the near future, but I have very little hope of obtaining authorization for former Ottomans to depart at this time.
In conclusion, I desire to state that Captain Blakely of the Des Moines has shown every disposition to assist and facilitate the departure and transportation of these refugees, and has of his own initiative arranged for the successful cooperation of his own vessel and of the Caesar, which, in view of the present difficulties in telegraphic communications, would have proved almost impossible for the Embassy to arrange with sufficient promptness.
I have [etc.]